More Palestinian demonstrations expected at Gaza border fence on ‘Jerusalem Day’

ISRAELIS and Palestinians are gearing up for another mass demonstration along the fence with Gaza.

Palestinian protesters have burnt tyres near the border as Israeli soldiers took position. Israeli firefighters are on stand-by to battle fires caused by kites rigged with burning rags launched by Palestinians which have damaged forests and crops in past protests.

More than 115 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire during near-weekly demonstrations that began on March 30.

Protests led by the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza are fuelled by frustration over a decadeold Israel-egyptian blockade, imposed after Hamas seized control there.

Israel is bracing for a large turnout as the protest coincides with “Jerusalem Day”, which its arch-enemy Iran established to coincide with the last Friday of Ramadan to express support for the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, in the Syrian capital Damascus, scores of Syrians and Palestinians commemorated Jerusalem Day by marching through the streets and chanting anti-israel slogans.

The men and women marched from the Hamidyeh market in the old city of Damascus to the Umayyad Mosque and waved the Syrian and Palestinian flags.

Hamid Hassan, 73, a Palestinian, said that the Jerusalem Day “means a lot for us. Jerusalem is an Arab land and it’s the land of all religions”.

He added: “We will continue to offer martyrs until we liberate it. We will never kneel.”

Syrian citizen Samah Abdullah, 42, said the issue of Jerusalem is the cause of all Muslims, adding that commemorating the day is a “motivation for us and for all Palestinians”.