Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 15 May 2018
55 dead in Gaza protests as Israel fetes U.S. Embassy move

By FARES AKRAM and JO- evangelical Christian sup-
SEF FEDERMAN porters.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) Jared Kushner, Trump's son-
— In a jarring contrast, Is- in-law and chief Mideast
raeli forces shot and killed adviser, headlined the U.S.
at least 55 Palestinians and delegation with his wife
wounded more than 1,200 and fellow White House ad-
during mass protests Mon- viser, Ivanka Trump, as well
day along the Gaza bor- as Treasury Secretary Ste-
der, while just a few miles ven Mnuchin and four Re-
away Israel and the U.S. publican senators. Repub-
held a festive inaugura- lican super-donor Sheldon
tion ceremony for the new Adelson was also present,
American Embassy in con- and evangelical pastors
tested Jerusalem. Robert Jeffress and John
It was by far the deadliest Hagee delivered blessings.
day of cross-border vio- "A great day for Israel!"
lence since a devastating Trump tweeted earlier
2014 war between Israel Monday.
and Gaza's Hamas rulers, In a videotaped address,
and further dimmed the al- Trump said the embassy
ready bleak prospects for move, a key campaign
President Donald Trump's A Palestinian woman walks through black smoke from burning tires during a protest on the Gaza promise, recognizes the
hoped-for peace plan. Strip's border with Israel, Monday, May 14, 2018. "plain reality" that Jerusa-
Throughout the day, Gaza Associated Press lem is Israel's capital. Yet he
protesters set tires ablaze, added the United States
sending thick plumes of cover of the protests and ing Israel's citizens. We are tion of the Gaza violence at "remains fully committed to
black smoke into the air, released video of protest- defending our homes." Monday's lavish inaugura- facilitating a lasting peace
and hurled firebombs and ers ripping away parts of Monday's protests culmi- tion ceremony for the new agreement."
stones toward Israeli troops the barbed-wire border nated more than a month embassy, an upgraded But Monday's steadily
across the border. The Is- fence. of weekly demonstrations consular building located climbing death toll and
raeli military, which has "What we saw today was aimed at breaking a crip- just 50 miles (80 kilometers) wall-to-wall condemnation
come under international unprecedented violence pling Israeli-Egyptian bor- away. Israeli Prime Minister of the embassy move in
criticism for using exces- along the fence," said Brig. der blockade. But the U.S. Benjamin Netanyahu and the Arab world raised new
sive force against unarmed Gen. Ronen Manelis, the Embassy move, bitterly op- other top officials joined doubts about Trump's am-
protesters, said Hamas tried chief military spokesman, posed by the Palestinians, an American delegation bitions to broker what he
to carry out bombing and defending the tough Israeli added further fuel. of Trump administration of- called the "deal of the cen-
shooting attacks under the response. "We are protect- There was barely any men- ficials and Republican and tury." q
Hezbollah says 'new phase' in war with Israel after strikes

By SARAH EL DEEB resistance without retalia- that the attack, Israel's re-
Associated Press tion," he said, adding, "This sponse and its response
BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of qualitative rocket attack against Gaza protests on
Lebanon's Hezbollah said establishes for a complete Monday show it is far from
Monday a barrage of rock- new phase" in the conflict ready to face its oppo-
ets from Syria against Is- with Israel. nents.
raeli forces in the occupied The axis of resistance is a "If anyone is afraid of war in
Goal Heights last week reference to Iran and its the region, it is Israel," Nas-
opens up "a new phase" in allies, Syria, Hezbollah and rallah said.
the conflict, warning that other allied armed groups He also blasted Bahrain's
Israel proper could be the in the region. foreign minister, calling him
next target for retaliation. Nasrallah said Israel has an "idiot" and a "traitor" for
Hassan Nasrallah said that downplayed its losses in the supporting Israel's right to
Israel has been informed strikes, in which he said 55 respond to the barrage of
through an international rockets hit military targets in rockets coming from Syria.
body that retaliation inside the Golan for the first time Nasrallah called the cre-
Israel will take place if it Women hold pictures of slain Hezbollah top commander Mus- since Israel and Syria had ation of Israel, which marks
crosses "a red line" in Syria, tafa Badreddine, who was killed in an explosion in Damascus, reached a cease fire and 70 years of its creation Mon-
without providing specifics. as they listen to Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, during a disengagement agree- day, a "mark of shame" for
a ceremony to mark the second anniversary of his death, in the
Israel on Thursday un- southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, May 14, 2018. ment in 1974. Israel had humanity.
leashed a heavy bombard- Associated Press said it downed 20 rockets He said the pressure from
ment against what it said coming from Syria. Israel and the United States
were Iranian military instal- emies to date. weeks, Israel is believed to He said Israel's retaliation on Iran is not just because
lations in Syria on Thursday. In a televised speech to a have carried out a number mostly hit a number of posts of its nuclear program, but
It said it was retaliation for rally in Beirut, Nasrallah did of strikes against military in Syria that had already is in essence because of
an Iranian rocket barrage not say who carried out the bases in Syria, killing Iranian been evacuated. He said its support to the Palestin-
on its positions in the Go- rocket fire into the Golan. and Syrian troops. Syrian air defenses downed ians and other "resistance"
lan. It was the most serious He called it retaliation for "You as an enemy will not a number of Israel's missiles. groups. He urged the Pal-
military confrontation be- "Israel's continued aggres- be able to continue to tar- He said the barrage "broke estinians not to accept any
tween the two bitter en- sion against Syria." In past get Syria and the axis of the prestige" of Israel and new U.S. peace plans.q