INTERNATIONAL

Israel fires on unarmed Palestinians

by Avi Haligua

Twice in less than a month, Israeli soldiers have shot and killed unarmed Palestinian demonstrators trying to walk across the border.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) killed at least 23 Palestinians and injured many others as tens of thousands marched on Israel’s borders on May 15. People took part in the protests to mark the anniversary of the Nakba (Catastrophe) of 1948, when Palestinians were driven from their homes in order to create the state of Israel. Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt gathered at the borders.

Again in early June, unarmed Palestinian refugees in Syria walked, and then crawled, toward the Israeli border and were met with gunfire. Twenty people were killed and over 300 were wounded.

These protests have taken strength and inspiration from the Arab spring.

These Arab uprisings have pushed rivals Hamas and Fatah to agree to an accord in Cairo on May 4, including representatives of 13 Palestinian fractions.

It anticipates the formation of a new government; the liberation of prisoners from both sides; presidential and legislative elections within one year; reform of the PLO; and forming the security forces on a strictly professional basis. Priority is given to reconstruction of Gaza as the Israeli blockade continues.

Palestinians are demanding the right of all Palestinians, not just those under occupation, but also the exiled refugees, and the discriminated Palestinian citizens of Israel to elect a national representative council.

Even the infamous US policy on “Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” which traditionally takes side with Israel’s expansion plans, is changing.

Obama maintained that the US commitment to Israel’s security is “unshakable,” he clearly signaled for a policy change by saying the only way for “a viable Palestine and a secure Israel” is that “the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually-agreed swaps”.

The mass movements in the region have created a demand for democracy, which keeps growing. The border protests have involved only a small part of the millions of Palestinian refugees. No one knows what would happen if millions marched peacefully to the borders.