The inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem triggered a series of very hard clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli army. Molotov cocktails and stones on one side, bullets on the other. The balance is that of a massacre: between the West Bank and the border with the Gaza Strip, the latest data speak of 59 dead and over 2.000 injured, including 27 in serious condition.
Secondo Amnesty International, among the Palestinians killed there are also five minors. The association denounces a “shameful violation of international norms and human rights: many people have been shot in the head and chest; more than 500 were wounded by bullets”.
We are witnessing an abhorrent violation of international law & human rights in # Gaza. 38 confirmed dead, including 6 children, with close to 2000 people injured. Many are reporting injuries to the head and chest. Over 500 injured with live ammunition. This must end immediately.
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) 14 May 2018
Updated numbers from the Palestinian Ministry of Health show 52 people have been killed in today # Gaza, including 5 children under 18.
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) 14 May 2018
"An American outpost has not been opened in Jerusalem," said the Palestinian president. Abu Mazen, who spoke of a "massacre" and reiterated that "America is no longer a mediator in the Middle East". Abu Mazen then announced the "general strike in the Palestinian territories" and three days of mourning for those killed in Gaza.
"We will continue to act firmly to protect our sovereignty and our citizens - replied the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu – Every country must protect its borders. Hamas, a terrorist organization, claims it intends to destroy Israel and sends thousands of people to breach the defensive barrier to achieve this goal”.
Turkey has recalled its ambassadors to the US and Israel for consultations. Ankara has also decreed 3 days of national mourning. "Israel is a terrorist state" that "is committing genocide," said the Turkish president Erdogan.
"The responsibility for what is happening clearly lies with Hamas who are intentionally provoking Israel's response," said a spokesman for the White House. According to diplomatic sources, the US blocked a request to the UN for an independent inquiry into what happened on the border between Israel and Gaza.
The clashes were condemned by almost the entire international community: the Arab world, the UN and the EU.
Said Abu Ali, assistant secretary general of the Arab League with responsibility for the Palestinian question and the occupied territories, "called for urgent international intervention to stop the horrific massacre perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinians, particularly in the Gaza Strip".
Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Policy of the European Union, hoped "that everyone will act with the utmost moderation to avoid further loss of life".
