Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Despite international appeals
Israel “under fire for ten hours”
Riots, rocket fire and deaths: The conflict between the Palestinians and Israel is reaching a sad climax – and threatens to worsen: Despite international appeals, the attacks on both sides continue. The Israeli military speaks of hours of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
The rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by militant Islamists, on Israeli territory is continuing, according to Israeli information. “Terror groups in Gaza have been firing rockets at Israeli civilians without interruption since 6:00 pm,” the Israeli army said early in the morning on Twitter. “Now it’s 4 o’clock. That’s ten hours of rocket bombardment.” Even before midnight, the military had spoken of more than 150 missiles fired, dozen of which the anti-missile defense had intercepted iron dome. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they had crossed a “red line”. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad group committed to the rocket attacks on Israel.
The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians had escalated dangerously in the past few days. At least 20 Palestinians are said to have died in rocket and air strikes between the Palestinians and Israel. As the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced, there are nine children among them. There are no reports of injuries in Israel from the projectiles.
The US and UK condemned the Palestinian missile attacks and are working to de-escalate the situation. The EU also called for an immediate end to the violence in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The launching of rockets from the Gaza Strip at the civilian population in Israel is completely unacceptable and is fueling the escalation dynamic, criticized a spokesman for EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell. All those responsible now have the responsibility to take action against extremists. Avoiding further civilian casualties must be a priority.
In Turkey, on the other hand, thousands of people gathered in front of the Israeli embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul yesterday evening to protest against the Israeli crackdown on Palestinians. According to a statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he phoned King Abdullah of Jordan and said that the “inhuman” attacks against Palestinians were directed against all Muslims and that Turkey and Jordan must work together to stop them.
Last night, too, the Palestinians and the Israeli police clashed again on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. After attacks from the ranks of the Palestinians, the police used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. According to estimates by the Red Crescent, almost 400 Palestinians had been injured in the riots in Jerusalem by evening. There were also new clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. There were violent clashes in Ramallah, Nablus and Hebron, among others.
Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its capital, including the eastern part. Its annexation by Israel is not recognized internationally. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their own state in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Tensions were exacerbated by plans to evacuate the homes of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarra neighborhood of East Jerusalem. The land on which they live is claimed by Jewish settlers. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the violent clashes and the possible eviction of Palestinian families from their homes. He called on Israel to stop further evictions.
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