Palestinian “Great March of Return” to Culminate May 15

May 14, 2018 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

On May 11, courageous Palestinian youths and other protesters from the ghetto that is the Gaza Strip descended on the border fence that separates it from Israel. Israeli troops responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, and sharpshooters opened fire, as they have every week since the protests began on March 30—deliberately targeting largely unarmed, nonviolent protesters to kill and maim. To date, 49 Palestinians have been murdered and more than 8,500 wounded. This includes Jamal Afanah, a 15-year-old boy, who died after being shot at last Friday’s protest.

This was the seventh consecutive Friday of demonstrations that are part of “Great March of Return” protests that will culminate with mass protests on May 15—the 70th anniversary of what is called the Palestinian “catastrophe,” the Nakba. This was when 750,000 Palestinians were driven from their villages and towns in 1948 by Zionist militias in a war of ethnic cleansing to create the state of Israel. Protesters are demanding the right to return to their homes and that Israel lift its life-crushing blockade of Gaza.

This is a very volatile situation. On the one hand, there is the growing determination of the Palestinian people to fight for their rights and humanity, being expressed by the thousands demonstrating. On the other hand, in the face of this, the Israeli government has been doubling down, killing protesters week after week.

And now, the gangsters at the helm of the fascist Trump/Pence regime have intentionally chosen Monday, May 14 for their celebration of the transfer of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This move is a big, genocidal “fuck you” to the Palestinian people who have long and rightfully claimed Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state. This move by the U.S. is another step and a further escalation of the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.

Thousands of Palestinians throughout the occupied territories are now expected to take to the streets on both May 14 and 15. Stay tuned to revcom.us for continued reporting as the situation develops.

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