Poll of the Day > With 60 killed in Gaza, U.N. rights commissioner criticizes Israel.

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https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/15/611223544/with-60-killed-in-gaza-u-n-rights-commissioner-criticizes-israel

One day after Israeli forces fired on protesters and killed 60 Palestinians along the Gaza border, the U.N.'s Human Rights Commissioner says that those who were shot include women, children, journalists, first responders and bystanders.

"We condemn the appalling, deadly violence in Gaza yesterday," said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

While acknowledging that some Palestinian demonstrators tried to damage the barbed wire fence that separates Gaza from Israel, Colville said that in the commissioner's view, attempts to cross or damage a fence "do not amount to a threat to life or serious injury and are not sufficient grounds for the use of live ammunition."

Lethal force, he said, should only be a measure of last resort.

The violence exploded on Monday, as Israel celebrated the U.S. move of its embassy to Jerusalem a city that's claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians, and whose status has long been regarded by America's biggest allies as an issue best resolved in multilateral peace talks. The U.S. has formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital another step it had long avoided taking.

At least 40,000 Palestinians gathered to protest, according to an estimate from the Israel Defense Forces which says "Hamas is coercing Gazans to risk their lives." More protests are expected on Tuesday.

The military dropped leaflets in the area, telling people to stay away from the security fence on the eastern half of the Gaza Strip. The Defense Forces have accused Iran of giving $100 to people who will approach and attempt to harm the Gaza barrier.

Israeli forces responded to the large gatherings at or near the fence with tear gas, plastic bullets and live ammunition. Protesters were seen throwing Molotov cocktails, flying kites that had flaming devices attached, and hurling stones. The military also said it killed three Palestinians who had been trying to plant an explosive along the fence.

In addition to their anger over the controversial embassy move, Palestinians also demonstrated in anticipation of today's commemoration of the day they call Nakba Catastrophe because the creation of Israel 70 years ago turned more than 700,000 Palestinians into refugees.

The confluence of events led to split-screen coverage of Monday's embassy unveiling, with U.S. guests led by President Trump's daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, smiling and celebrating inside the embassy as, along the Gaza border, black smoke billowed from burning tires and gunshots rang out in what an IDF spokesperson called a day of "unprecedented violence."

One day later, the first Palestinian funerals have been held, and Gaza's medical facilities are stretched to their limit, having coped with 2,771 injuries. Of that number, 1,359 wounds were from live bullets, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

The violence capped weeks of protests by Palestinians, who began demonstrating against Israel's blockade of Gaza back in March.

In that time, as Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports, "Hamas and the other resistance movements in Gaza refrained from launching rockets into Israel. No Israeli soldier or resident was injured. Israel, on the other hand, acted against the unarmed demonstrators with sniper fire, live fire that killed and maimed."

The newspaper made those remarks in its lead editorial today, titled "Stop the Bloodbath."

Michael Lynk, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory, says Israel is guilty of "blatant excessive use of force," in breach of international human rights laws.

Saying Israel was denying rights of expression and assembly, Lynk issued a statement on Tuesday calling for "true accountability for those in military and political command who have ordered or allowed this force to be once again employed at the Gaza fence."

Israeli officials say that Hamas has used the protests to cover terrorist activities, and to distract Palestinians from "their failures as a governing body."

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has joined at least one of the weekly protests against the blockade; he was seen again on Monday. His public appearances prompted new comments from Israel's Public Defense Minister Gilad Erdan, who told the Ynet News site, "We need to go back to targeted killings, and they need to go back to hiding underground and fearing for their lives, not organizing the masses to carry out terror attacks."

Erdan said, "It's time for the heads of Hamas to pay a personal price for organizing these terror attacks."

On Monday afternoon, the White House blamed the death toll on the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

Principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah said, "Hamas bears the responsibility," adding, "Look, this is a propaganda attempt. I mean, this is a gruesome and unfortunate propaganda attempt. I think the Israeli government has spent weeks trying to handle this without violence, and we find it very unfortunate."

Shah reiterated the White House's position that Israel has the right to defend itself.

When asked about possible peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians and the timing of the most recent White House contact with Palestinian leaders Shah said, "Well, I don't honestly have an answer for you on that. I'll get back to you."

Zionists killing innocent Muslims? What a surprise. Too bad the propagandist media in the US will hardly acknowledge stuff like this, whereas they cry foul if a fraction of that number dies on their side of the planet.
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JanwayDaahl posted...

Zionists killing innocent Muslims? What a surprise. Too bad the propagandist media in the US will hardly acknowledge stuff like this, whereas they cry foul if a fraction of that number dies on their side of the planet.

https://twitter.com/Farberyanki/status/996075057200975877

JanwayDaahl posted...

Zionists killing innocent Muslims? What a surprise. Too bad the propagandist media in the US will hardly acknowledge stuff like this, whereas they cry foul if a fraction of that number dies on their side of the planet.

Don't you have a restaurant to blow up?
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You have the right to defend your border with force.
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WastelandCowboy posted...

Protesters were seen throwing Molotov cocktails, flying kites that had flaming devices attached, and hurling stones.

That's not "protesting" - not any more. That's just a riot.

Gauza, is that like a country that make medical wraps or something?

They didnt run out of people did they? So our medical needs will not be interrupted by anything theyre doing i hope, thats all that matters to me.
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pikey87 posted...

You have the right to defend your border with force.

The counterpoint would be that they do not have the right to imprison people in Gaza.

Not sure if you're trolling or just ignorant, but in the case of the latter you should really educate yourself on the subject if you want to have a discussion about it.
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MacrossSpecial posted...

pikey87 posted...

You have the right to defend your border with force.

The counterpoint would be that they do not have the right to imprison people in Gaza.

Not sure if you're trolling or just ignorant, but in the case of the latter you should really educate yourself on the subject if you want to have a discussion about it.

So not allowing foreign people to freely travel into your land without any necessary documentation equates to imprisonment in your mind? And I'm ignorant? Take your baseless hostility and get out, you don't even want a discussion that doesn't include derogatory shit talking on your end.
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It's disgusting how the entire world except America is anti semitic.
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Blightzkrieg posted...

It's disgusting how the entire world except America is anti semitic.

;)
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pikey87 posted...

MacrossSpecial posted...

pikey87 posted...

You have the right to defend your border with force.

The counterpoint would be that they do not have the right to imprison people in Gaza.

Not sure if you're trolling or just ignorant, but in the case of the latter you should really educate yourself on the subject if you want to have a discussion about it.

So not allowing foreign people to freely travel into your land without any necessary documentation equates to imprisonment in your mind? And I'm ignorant? Take your baseless hostility and get out, you don't even want a discussion that doesn't include derogatory shit talking on your end.

They took the Palastinians land and called it Israel and over the last fourteen years have been taking more of it, kicking people out of their homes as they push them into the sea.

If you're a fan of imperialism and that might makes right, I suppose we really have nothing to talk about. I am simply leaning more towards the inclination that you're just ignorant of how things went down over there.
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MacrossSpecial posted...

pikey87 posted...

MacrossSpecial posted...

pikey87 posted...

You have the right to defend your border with force.

The counterpoint would be that they do not have the right to imprison people in Gaza.

Not sure if you're trolling or just ignorant, but in the case of the latter you should really educate yourself on the subject if you want to have a discussion about it.

So not allowing foreign people to freely travel into your land without any necessary documentation equates to imprisonment in your mind? And I'm ignorant? Take your baseless hostility and get out, you don't even want a discussion that doesn't include derogatory shit talking on your end.

They took the Palastinians land and called it Israel and over the last fourteen years have been taking more of it, kicking people out of their homes as they push them into the sea.

If you're a fan of imperialism and that might makes right, I suppose we really have nothing to talk about. I am simply leaning more towards the inclination that you're just ignorant of how things went down over there.

Feel free to name a time palenstine was not occupied. Even groups like hamas and the Plo that claim to stand for palenstinian rights are only remnants of previous muslim occupation.
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pikey87 posted...

You have the right to defend your border with force.

but not to shoot random people. not everyone in the area was guilty. is it right to shoot at kids who were brought to a fence by their parents? or to murder doctors trying to rescue injured people? you aren't supposed to shoot at medics, even in wars. in WW2, medics were spared on both sides. civilized nations treat them like neutral parties

and is it right to kill bystanders who just happened to be caught up in the area? imagine if you didn't know a riot was about to break out. you are walking down the street. events unfold and you get trapped in the crowd. you are just trying to get out of the riot and get home and then a soldier shoots you. would that be fair? both the Israelis and US military tends to shoot bystanders and then later claim they were fighters. the US military counts all dead males as enemy combatants. it's fucked up.

pikey87 posted...

MacrossSpecial posted...

pikey87 posted...

MacrossSpecial posted...

pikey87 posted...

You have the right to defend your border with force.

The counterpoint would be that they do not have the right to imprison people in Gaza.

Not sure if you're trolling or just ignorant, but in the case of the latter you should really educate yourself on the subject if you want to have a discussion about it.

So not allowing foreign people to freely travel into your land without any necessary documentation equates to imprisonment in your mind? And I'm ignorant? Take your baseless hostility and get out, you don't even want a discussion that doesn't include derogatory shit talking on your end.

They took the Palastinians land and called it Israel and over the last fourteen years have been taking more of it, kicking people out of their homes as they push them into the sea.

If you're a fan of imperialism and that might makes right, I suppose we really have nothing to talk about. I am simply leaning more towards the inclination that you're just ignorant of how things went down over there.

Feel free to name a time palenstine was not occupied. Even groups like hamas and the Plo that claim to stand for palenstinian rights are only remnants of previous muslim occupation.

I'm not going to talk to you if you're going to be moving the goalposts.
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pikey87 posted...

So not allowing foreign people to freely travel into your land

they aren't foreign. if anything, the Jews are foreign. here is what happened, I will break it down for you.

thousands of years ago, Hebrews lived in Israel. around 2 thousand years ago there was unrest there and a bunch of them fled to Europe. they lived in Europe for 2 thousand years. then moved back. meanwhile, some of the Hebrews never left. these later on got converted to Islam by conquerors. The Palestinians are literally Hebrews that have lived in the area since the dawn of history. and just happen to now be muslims instead of Jewish. they have more of a right to the land than the ones who left for 2 thousand years.