Israel’s use of brute force must be condemned

There’s no excuse for the use of live ammunition which killed 60 protesters

While the US and Israel were celebrating the inauguration of the new US embassy at Jerusalem, about 100 kilometres to the south, in Gaza, hundreds of people were attending the funerals of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces while protesting at the Israel-gaza border. By Tuesday, Israeli forces had killed about 60 Palestinians wounded more than 2,000. What’s disturbing is how Israel’s brutal actions have received little attention internationally. The association of the Hamas with the protests could be a reason for this inaction, but, there’s no excuse for Israel’s disproportionate violence and use of live ammunition on largely unarmed Palestinian protesters.

One of the triggers for this wave of protests is the US’S ill-advised decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel considers the whole of Jerusalem, including East Jerusalem which it has been illegally occupying since 1967, as its capital. Palestinians envisage East Jerusalem as the future capital of the State of Palestine. Due to the ambiguity over Jerusalem’s status, most countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv.

By moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, Mr Trump has fulfilled his campaign promise. By using brute force and squarely blaming the Palestinians for the death and violence, Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu has domestically reiterated his image of a strong leader. And by expressing token protests, the Arab leaders have ignored the rights of the Palestinians. In the process, chances of Israel-palestine peace have become bleak.