As Palestinian protests in Gaza build toward the 70th ‘Nakba Day’ commemoration tomorrow, at least forty-three people have been killed as Israeli armed forces fired upon protesters, with reports of up to two thousand injured. Amnesty International initially reported thirty-eight confirmed dead:
Human Rights Watch (HRW) director Omar Shakir named a higher death toll (later confirmed by BBC News), adding that at least a thousand people had been injured directly by live ammunition – and sharing grim detail about the nature of the injuries provided by Doctors without Borders/Médicins sans Frontières:
HRW issued a strongly-worded statement on the killings:
The Labour Party’s official statement, conveyed by Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry, was equally direct:
By contrast, the UK government’s statement was described as “almost a parody of bland indifference” by author and commentator Jamie Stern-Weiner. It read:
We are concerned by the reports of violence and loss of life in Gaza. We urge calm and restraint to avoid actions destructive to peace efforts.
Labour MPs have condemned the violence in the strongest terms – and challenged Theresa May’s failure to do so:
The reason for May’s prevarication may not be too hard to identify, as Stern-Weiner observed:
The response of some media to the killings has also attracted condemnation. The New York Times tweeted an update noting only that ‘dozens of Palestinians have died in protests‘ – and was challenged by singer Lily Allen:
Award-winning producer Judd Apatow was more blunt:
The New York Times was not finished, though. It was condemned by US Jewish group If not now for a subsequent failure to properly describe events:
The horrific reality on the ground was confirmed by PBS’ correspondent Jane Ferguson:
Others, such as Agence France Presse’s Andrew Beatty and Patrick Galey, commented on the contrast between the state proceedings in Jerusalem, as the US prepared to open its controversial embassy in the city, and the appalling scenes at the border:
The BBC followed the New York Times method. Its news website avoided mention of cause, noting only that Palestinians had died – and describing the asymmetric use of powerful live munitions against protesters either unarmed or bearing catapults as ‘clashes’:
Shamefully, it appears to have been left to the ‘alternative’ news sites – at least in the US and UK – to give a more frank description of today’s events in Palestine:
Terrifyingly, Nakba Day itself is not until tomorrow, so even worse may be still to come.
The world cannot turn a blind eye to, water down or sanitise the reality of what is happening in Gaza if there is to be any hope of a just and peaceful resolution.
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When this wholesale slaughter by Israel comes before the UN Security Council the UK will abstain and the US will veto any meaningful sanctions.
Yes, your prediction has come to pass, US blocked an US investigation into atrocities committed by Israel against peaceful protesters. US obviously afraid it couldn’t control another UN investigation.
May regime humiliated as Turkey has apparently told Israeli ambassador to leave Turkey… Turkey already withdrew its ambassador to Israel. When will Regev be sent packing I wonder?
The geo-strategic chessboard is changing daily as Turkey and Israel only recently normalized diplomatic relations.
a UN investigation not an US investigation.
Time for a break from ‘news’ horrors. Walk in the fresh air listening to the bird song next on my list.
“Terrifyingly, Nakba Day itself is not until tomorrow, so even worse may be still to come.”
The Nakba has lasted for 70 years non stop.
No sanctions when Israel ignores a raft of UN resolutions over decades, no arms embargo, no trade embargos no threats of ‘humanitarian’ regime change so beloved of western powers… words, words and more words are all the so called humanitarian democracies offer… words are hollow, cheap and utterly meaningless.
At least South Africa has the guts and integrity to take some substantive action, their ambassador to Israel has been withdrawn and they call it an attack not the Israel apologist ‘clash’.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2018-05-14-sa-withdraws-ambassador-to-israel-following-gaza-strip-attack/
And LFI says what? https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156079448086068&l=e94e22dc33
Israel expects Palestinians to quietly accept theft of their land, their status as 2nd class citizens and vicious carnage. Where is western criticism? Where are the protests from other Arab countries? ENOUGH!!!
Craig Murray is vitriolic on the LFI.
https://skwawkbox.org/2018/05/14/slaughter-at-least-43-killed-incl-6-children-2000-injured-as-israel-fires-on-palestinian-protesters/
Apologies:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/05/the-stomach-churning-victim-blaming-by-labour-friends-of-israel/#tc-comment-title
There is no place in the Labour Party for the Friends of Israel apartheid apologists.
Emily Thornberry describes; ‘…systemic and deliberate policy of killing and maiming unarmed protestors and bystanders who pose no threat to the forces at the Gaza border, many of them shot in the back, many of them shot hundreds of metres from the border, and many of them children.’ Israel expects Palestinians to meekly accept theft of their land, their 2nd class status as well as vicious carnage. Where is western criticism? Where is the support from other Arab countries? ENOUGH!!!
Unfortunately Thornberry is a member of Friends of Israel,which rather undermines her”strong statement”.Why are we not allowed to point this out under the posting of her statement elsewhere on this site?
If Thornbury has any sense she’ll quit the LFI immediately
The Labour Party must confront Labour Friends of Israel anti-Palestinian RACISM!
1200 injured and 52 DEAD latest body count
Labour Friends Of Israel Comments please , anything , anything at all ??
JLM COmments ,, anything to say , any excuses for this ,,, come on I am all ears
Baroness Chakrabarti wants Ken Livingstone kicked out for his comments on Israel and factual history , bloody hell is she serious at least Ken isn’t mascaraing Palestinians like the Israeli Govt is .
Baroness Chakrabarti does she want to stop genuine criticism of the actions of the Israeli Govt ,, then she shouldn’t be supporting those who want Ken removed and silenced ! I thought she was reasonable and had sound judgement , no way, not now, not a chance !!
Just read the Craig Murry piece as per link above by labougie thanks labougie I urge all to read it !
Just how the FUCK we can have people like this in the Labour Party shocks me . I don’t give a rats ass if the dead are Israeli or Palestinians you don’t EVER EVER blame the victims which is exactly what LFI has done .
Joan Ryan et all hang your heads in utter utter shame GET OUT AND GO . You are NOT and never will be Labour , you are apologists for the murderous Israeli Govt and it actions and HAVE NO PLACE IN LABOUR .
Where are Ruth Smeeths tear now?
Bloody WELL SAID ! and Woodcock’s condemnation plus all the usual suspects ,,,,, silence can’t you hear it
SKWAWKBOX
Is not being able to leave comments on the blog about the LFI statement intentional?
It would be interesting to know which members of LFI are prepared to endorse this callous statement.
Probably intentional as feelings are running high over this slaughter and LFI total lack of humanity.
I’d guess that 90% of the LFI top team will endorse this statement.
I feel that the LFI statement needs to be PLASTERED everywhere at this yrs Cnf venue to remind one and all what a appalling organisation it is and it sits within Labour,,,, STILL !
RTE radio on the long wave seemed to be the only news broadcast that thought human beings had been shot. The Guardian had a typical maneouvre (should I call it “trope”?) in their editorial comment: “It should make Israelis quail that demonstrators were sprayed with live ammunition with apparent impunity.”
So it is that Israelis might “quail” is the subjective experience to be pointed towards with horror: by omission, and it is a perpetual omission, there is no subjective experience to be pointed towards as having been had by the Palestinians. The racist root, even here, of the concept “A land without people for a people without land.”
Whenever a Jewish (or any one else the west sympathises with) person suffers the corporate media is full of interviews with family & friends. No such human interest with the suffering of our ‘enemies’.
Unarmed protestors. Please repeat ‘unarmed’ in all reports. Foaming at the mouth, dissembling, truly nasty Israeli spokespeople, tried to make out the protestors were armed with ‘slings’ and rubber tyres . Tyres are used as smokescreens when on fire of course and as bullet protection while ‘slings’ remind one of David and Goliath.
Barbarianism by the Right Wing Israeli Govt. in response to the actions of the Right Wing Barbarians Hamas leading Palestinians to slaughter in a situation caused by the Global King of Barbarians – Donald Trump.
Need Left Wing Democratic Socialist forces on Israeli and Palestinian sides to oust their Right Wing Reactionaries and the US to stop taking sides in Trump’s Bull in a China Shop Approach before they kick Trump out and left wing democratic socialists in the West play our part in kicking out Western sycophantic Leaders.
Yours in peace.
Sign the petition here and email your MP
https://palestinecampaign.iparlsetup.com/lobby/greatreturnmarch
Yes heartbreaking as 70 years of the Nakba continues with the callous slaughter of Palestinians by the Right Wing Israeli Govt. who must be condemned by the World; killing predominantly peaceful protesters is perhaps clearly a war crime and the Right Wing Israeli Govt. should be prosecuted.
But we are doing the Palestinian people no favours by not being critical of Right Wing Hamas. I wrote a few weeks ago if Right Wing Hamas continued with its current strategy significant Palestinian lives would be lost unnecessarily. Whilst Fatah/the PLO were generally corrupt and self-serving Hamas were clever and got in with the poor by offering services and most employment in Hamas controlled areas is as Hamas fighters and sadly they have captured the hearts and minds of a significant number of Palestinians but they are no progressives, when they were crazily firing rockets into Israel which provoked a disgusting Right Wing Israeli over reaction (and cost 3,000 Palestinian lives including many children) a group of brave (too brave) young Palestinians protested for Hamas to stop as it was costing too many Palestinian lives – Hamas turned up and they were promptly shot.
But what general looks at the opposition, armed to the teeth and with what looks like a shoot to kill policy and no respect for Palestinian lives, then their own side with sticks and stones and burning tyres (apart from a few militants) and only seem to know one command “charge” whilst the Right Wing Israeli Govt. only seems to know “shoot.” But there is a decent left wing democratic socialist Palestinian Leader who advocates a peaceful approach but he is still languishing in an Israeli jail. As the US subsidises and arms Israel and backs it up at the UN, we need to step up boycotts etc. and all peaceful measures and perhaps after 70 years of violence some could consider a peaceful approach.
And I would hope left wing democratic socialists on both sides would step up to the plate (and around the World).
Yours in Peace.