US accuses Hamas of provoking Israel as 55 die on border
Israeli snipers kill at least 55 as Jerusalem becomes home to American diplomacy in the country
THE White House last night accused Hamas of orchestrating a “gruesome” piece of propaganda after at least 55 people died in clashes on Israel’s border.
Thousands of Palestinian protesters were confronted by Israeli snipers on the day of the official opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, attended by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-inlaw Jared Kushner.
The Palestinians accused Israel of carrying out a “terrible massacre” on unarmed demonstrators and said that 55 people died, including children, and more than 1,000 others were injured by gunfire. But Raj Shah, the White House deputy press secretary, said: “Israel has a right to defend itself. The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas. Hamas is intentionally and cynically provoking this response.”
He later added: “This is a gruesome and unfortunate propaganda attempt.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, blamed Hamas for trying to “destroy Israel” by sending thousands of protesters to try to breach the border fence. “Every country has an obligation to defend its borders,” he said.
In a recorded message, the US president welcomed the embassy’s opening as a “great day for Israel”.
‘As we have seen from the protests of the last month, and even today, those provoking violence are part of the problem, not the solution’
THE opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem was overshadowed yesterday by bloodshed in Gaza, where at least 55 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the deadliest day since the end of the 2014 Gaza conflict.
Less than 50 miles from where Ivanka Trump and other US dignitaries gathered to mark the embassy opening, the Gaza border transformed into a scene of fire and chaos as thousands of protesters faced Israeli snipers.
Israel’s military said it opened fire to stop Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls Gaza, from using the protests as a distraction to break over the border and carry out attacks in Israel.
But Palestinians insisted most of those killed were unarmed demonstrators and the authorities accused Israel of carrying out “a terrible massacre”, calling for international intervention.
Despite the death toll, Donald Trump, the US president, hailed it “a great day for Israel”, and said he believed his decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would ultimately help forge peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
“For many years we failed to acknowledge the obvious: the plain reality that Israel’s capital is Jerusalem,” Mr Trump said in a video played at the ceremony. “Our greatest hope is for peace. The US remains fully committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement.”
Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, criticised the move as the US “playing the wrong card at the wrong time”, while Middle East minister Alistair Burt said: “It is extremely worrying that the number of those killed continues to rise. Such violence is destructive to peace efforts. We have been clear that the UK supports the Palestinians’ right to protest, but these protests must be peaceful.”
In a speech in London, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, said: “The United States has chosen to be a part of the problem rather than the solution with its latest step and has lost its mediating role in the peace process.”
Palestinian health officials said 55 people died on the Gaza border, including six children. Nearly 1,400 others were wounded by gunfire, said Palestine’s health ministry.
About 100 Palestinians have died in Gaza since protesters began a series of marches six weeks ago to demand the right for Palestinians to live on their forefathers’ land in what is now Israel. Around 40,000 gathered at 13 different locations along the barbed wire fence which separates Israel from Gaza.
While the fence was damaged in places, no Palestinians got through. “We do not target anyone who does not pose a threat, either by trying to tear down the fence or running into Israel,” said Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, an IDF spokesman. Human Rights Watch criticised Israel for using live rounds when there was no threat to troops or civilians and said the policy had “resulted in a bloodbath anyone could have foreseen”.
Several Palestinian journalists were reportedly shot while covering the protests and Israel carried out airstrikes on Hamas positions in response to “Hamas activities” on the border.
Few speakers at the embassy event mentioned the violence, even as television networks broadcast it live. But Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law who leads the president’s peace initiative, said: “Those provoking violence are part of the problem, not part of the solution.”