6 june 2011
IDF: Protesters caused their own deaths
Probe of 'Naksa Day' events reveals Syrian protesters ignited minefields, threw firebombs without preparing extinguishers. IDF called three ceasefires to allow Red Cross to evacuate wounded, but protesters used this to gain ground.
The IDF said Monday morning that many of the Syrian protesters who stormed the border fence and Quneitra crossing in honor of 'Naksa Day' were responsible for their own deaths by igniting mine fields on the border.
Meanwhile the army also announced at around 11:30 am that although the border demonstration had ended by late Sunday night, many were gathering once again in an area nearby. No violence was reported.
Military sources said the protesters who ignited minefields Sunday did not bring fire extinguishers with them and thus posed a danger to themselves and others by behaving irresponsibly. Others threw firebombs near Quneitra crossing to the same effect, they said.
The sources are also assuming that many protesters were hurt or killed as a result of the Red Cross's inability to reach them, due to protesters' refusal to cease violence in order to allow for medical evacuations.
IDF officials say commanders ordered three ceasefires, each of which were taken advantage of by the protesters in order to gain ground.
Many protesters remained on the border throughout the night but most had dispersed by morning, an IDF source said, stressing that soldiers were still on high alert for additional breaches of the fence.
Dolan Abu Salah, the mayor of Majdal Shams, was unconvinced that the protesters had dispersed, claiming that they had probably gathered on a hill known to be unobservable from Israel.
Police still surround the Druze village and the IDF has declared the village a closed military zone, though residents continue to move around at will and daily life continues normally, aside from a school strike. Checkpoints have been set up around the village in order to prevent residents from reaching the border and joining protests.
Meanwhile, the IDF continues to investigate Sunday's events. Syria claims 23 protesters were killed on the border and 350 injured, but the army says that number is a gross overestimate.
Hundreds of Syrians, most of them Palestinian refugees, stormed the border near Majdal Shams and the Quneitra crossing in honor of 'Naksa Day', which marks the "Arab downfall" of the Six Day War.
They were prevented from crossing by IDF troops, who were prepared due to a similar border breach on 'Nakba Day' last month.
Sources from the Syrian Opposition claim that President Bashar Assad's regime, under fire from civilians vying for overhauling reform recently, offered to pay demonstrators who join in the border protests $1,000 for participating, or give their families $10,000 in the event of their deaths.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4078816,00.html
Israel to complain to UN over Syria incitement of border violence
Foreign Ministry spokesman says complaint will focus on Syria's 'manipulation of its own citizens' to foment Sunday's violent border clashes, in which Syria says 23 protesters were killed.
Israel said on Monday that it will complain to the United Nations over what it said was Syria's use of demonstrators to challenge Israel's sovereignty, following violent clashes Sunday along the border between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights.
The complaint would focus on Syria's "manipulation of its own citizens to generate violent incidents at the border," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said.
Syria said on Monday that 23 people were killed in Sunday's "Naksa Day" rally, commemorating 44 years since the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel captured Syria's Golan Heights in that conflict, as well as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Official Syrian news agency SANA quoted Health Minister Wael al-Halki as saying the death toll included a woman and a child, adding that another 350 people suffered gunshot wounds.
The IDF said that since all the casualties were on the Syrian side of the border it was unable to provide an exact count, but it expressed great skepticism about the Syrian figures. Soldiers fired "with precision" at the bottom half of the bodies of the protesters, the army said.
Channel 10 reported that an initial IDF inquiry into Sunday's events found that up to ten Syrian protesters had been killed when Molotov cocktails which the protesters had been throwing set off an anti-tank minefield.
The army accused the Syrian government of creating a deliberate provocation in an effort to divert world attention from its ongoing bloody repression of pro-democracy protests at home.
Senior officials in Jerusalem placed the responsibility for Sunday's violence on the Syrian police.
"Syria is trying to divert attention from the massacre that [Syria] is carrying out against its citizens with the provocation on the border," a senior official said. "We sent messages in recent days to both Syria and Lebanon. Lebanon prevented the protests, but Syria decided to carry out a provocation."
Factions: Golan massacre war crime
Palestinian national and Islamic forces in Gaza condemned on Monday the Israeli massacre in the Golan Heights against a peaceful march, describing it as a war crime.
The factions issued a joint statement at conclusion of a meeting called for by the Islamic Jihad movement urging the world community to immediately intervene to bridle the Israeli occupation’s crimes.
They stressed that the Palestinian people are determined to continue in their national struggle, underlining that resistance is a legitimate right until liberation, independence, and return are achieved.
The factions mourned the dead and wished speedy recovery for the wounded in those marches.
US 'deeply troubled' at killings on Israel-Syria border
State department calls on sides to exercise restraint as protestors declare they plan on staging sit-down near fence throughout the night.
The United States said Sunday it is "deeply troubled" over clashes on the Syrian border with Israel that reportedly resulted in 20 deaths, and called for calm on both sides.
Meanwhile, the protestors said they were planning to stage a sit-down opposite the border throughout the night.
Israeli troops opened fire as protesters from Syria on Sunday stormed a ceasefire line in the Golan Heights.
"We are deeply troubled by events that took place earlier today in the Golan Heights resulting in injuries and the loss of life," the State Department said in a statement.
"We call for all sides to exercise restraint. Provocative actions like this should be avoided."
The US statement emphasized that "Israel, like any sovereign nation, has a right to defend itself."
Hundreds of protesters rushed towards the ceasefire line on Sunday, cutting through barbed wire as they tried to enter the Golan Heights in a repeat of demonstrations last month that saw thousands mass along Israel's north.
"Despite numerous warnings, both verbal and later warning shots in the air, dozens of Syrians continue to approach the border and IDF (Israel Defense Forces) forces were left with no choice but to open fire towards the feet of protesters in efforts to deter further actions," an Israeli army spokesman told AFP.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4078680,00.html
Syria condemns killing of protestors
Damascus issues statement saying 'Naksa Day' clashes exposed Israel's 'terrorist policy.' Meanwhile, PM Netanyahu says Sunday's border clashes were not incidental; accuses Syrian regime of failing to prevent provocations.
The Syrian foreign ministry on Monday issued a statement condemning the killing of protestors on the Israeli border on Sunday in what it described as "flagrant Israeli aggression" against unarmed civilians.
Damascus is using 'Naksa Day' events to divert the international community's attention from its own violent crackdown of anti-government protests. The attack exposed Israel's terrorist policy, the Syrian statement read.
Meanwhile, the United States said Monday that Syria was "clearly" behind the lethal confrontations and that Israel has a right to defend itself.
"This is clearly an attempt by Syria to incite these kinds of protests," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, saying Damascus hoped to divert attention from its own internal problems. "Israel, like any sovereign nation, has a right to defend itself."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the border clashes in a Likud faction meeting on Monday. "They were not incidental," he said. "There is an attempt to inflame the border."
The prime minister stressed that soldiers fired at the protestors as a last resort. "We must defend our borders, as any country is obligated to do. The IDF followed international law codes, we warned we would defend our borders. We issued warnings to neighboring states as well as repeated alerts on the field."
Netanyahu also accused the Syrian regime of failing to prevent the clashes. "Sadly, I cannot say that the Syrian government pulled all its weight to prevent the provocations. It allowed these people to cause provocations that challenged Israel's sovereignty.
"There is an attempt to divert international attention away from events inside Syria."
Netanyahu also declared "we maintain our right to defend our borders, communities and citizens. We shall do so with the utmost restraint and responsibility."
Earlier on Monday, dozens arrived at the Shouting Hill near the Syrian border but did not approach the fence. The IDF is prepared for any possible infiltration attempt.
Russia said on Monday it was "deeply concerned" by an upsurge in confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians.
"We express deep concern in relation to the new surge of Israeli-Palestinian confrontations. The death and injury of many peaceful demonstrators in the course of these protests is of particular concern," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4079226,00.html
Report: Fatah vows retaliation for Naksa Day deaths
Fatah's armed group will determine the "right time and place" to retaliate inside Palestine for the deaths of Palestinian refugees by Israeli fire along the Syria-Israel ceasefire line, an official was reported saying in southern Lebanon on Monday
“Palestine will be liberated through resistance because negotiations are useless,” Fatah leader in Lebanon Muneer Maqdah was quoted by the country's daily news site NOW Lebanon as saying during a rally to mourn what Syrian state television said were 23 marchers killed by Israeli fire during a protest rally the day before.
He called the incident, which saw hundreds mass at the Syria-Israel ceasefire line in the Golan Heights and march over the frontier toward lands occupied by Israel on 5 June 1967, "the massacre in Golan, Maroun Ar-Ras and Palestine," the report said.
Palestinians in the Saida refugee camp in southern Lebanon reportedly went on strike for the day, in protest against the deaths.
NOW Lebanon reported the closure of all educational, social and medical institutions inside the refugee camps in the south, and blockade of their entrances with burning tires.
The news report said the refugees were angered over the death of what Syrian TV said was 23 pro-Palestinian supporters in a march that saw hundreds attempt to breach the ceasefire line between the Syrian Golan Heights and the Israeli occupied section of the plateau.
The march - commemorating the 44th anniversary of Israel's occupation of the Golan - was a repeat of a march that took place on 15 May, commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the forced exile of 800,000 Palestinian refugees during fighting that preceded the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
During the May march, Palestinian refugees and their supporters from Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza all marched toward the borders of Israel and demanded their right of return to their homes. Four were killed on the Syrian border and ten in Lebanon by Israeli fire.
Protesters from Lebanon were expected to march once again to the border with Israel on Sunday, but were prevented from accessing the south by forces from the Lebanese army.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=394201
US 'deeply troubled
Probe of 'Naksa Day' events reveals Syrian protesters ignited minefields, threw firebombs without preparing extinguishers. IDF called three ceasefires to allow Red Cross to evacuate wounded, but protesters used this to gain ground.
The IDF said Monday morning that many of the Syrian protesters who stormed the border fence and Quneitra crossing in honor of 'Naksa Day' were responsible for their own deaths by igniting mine fields on the border.
Meanwhile the army also announced at around 11:30 am that although the border demonstration had ended by late Sunday night, many were gathering once again in an area nearby. No violence was reported.
Military sources said the protesters who ignited minefields Sunday did not bring fire extinguishers with them and thus posed a danger to themselves and others by behaving irresponsibly. Others threw firebombs near Quneitra crossing to the same effect, they said.
The sources are also assuming that many protesters were hurt or killed as a result of the Red Cross's inability to reach them, due to protesters' refusal to cease violence in order to allow for medical evacuations.
IDF officials say commanders ordered three ceasefires, each of which were taken advantage of by the protesters in order to gain ground.
Many protesters remained on the border throughout the night but most had dispersed by morning, an IDF source said, stressing that soldiers were still on high alert for additional breaches of the fence.
Dolan Abu Salah, the mayor of Majdal Shams, was unconvinced that the protesters had dispersed, claiming that they had probably gathered on a hill known to be unobservable from Israel.
Police still surround the Druze village and the IDF has declared the village a closed military zone, though residents continue to move around at will and daily life continues normally, aside from a school strike. Checkpoints have been set up around the village in order to prevent residents from reaching the border and joining protests.
Meanwhile, the IDF continues to investigate Sunday's events. Syria claims 23 protesters were killed on the border and 350 injured, but the army says that number is a gross overestimate.
Hundreds of Syrians, most of them Palestinian refugees, stormed the border near Majdal Shams and the Quneitra crossing in honor of 'Naksa Day', which marks the "Arab downfall" of the Six Day War.
They were prevented from crossing by IDF troops, who were prepared due to a similar border breach on 'Nakba Day' last month.
Sources from the Syrian Opposition claim that President Bashar Assad's regime, under fire from civilians vying for overhauling reform recently, offered to pay demonstrators who join in the border protests $1,000 for participating, or give their families $10,000 in the event of their deaths.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4078816,00.html
Israel to complain to UN over Syria incitement of border violence
Foreign Ministry spokesman says complaint will focus on Syria's 'manipulation of its own citizens' to foment Sunday's violent border clashes, in which Syria says 23 protesters were killed.
Israel said on Monday that it will complain to the United Nations over what it said was Syria's use of demonstrators to challenge Israel's sovereignty, following violent clashes Sunday along the border between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights.
The complaint would focus on Syria's "manipulation of its own citizens to generate violent incidents at the border," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said.
Syria said on Monday that 23 people were killed in Sunday's "Naksa Day" rally, commemorating 44 years since the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel captured Syria's Golan Heights in that conflict, as well as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Official Syrian news agency SANA quoted Health Minister Wael al-Halki as saying the death toll included a woman and a child, adding that another 350 people suffered gunshot wounds.
The IDF said that since all the casualties were on the Syrian side of the border it was unable to provide an exact count, but it expressed great skepticism about the Syrian figures. Soldiers fired "with precision" at the bottom half of the bodies of the protesters, the army said.
Channel 10 reported that an initial IDF inquiry into Sunday's events found that up to ten Syrian protesters had been killed when Molotov cocktails which the protesters had been throwing set off an anti-tank minefield.
The army accused the Syrian government of creating a deliberate provocation in an effort to divert world attention from its ongoing bloody repression of pro-democracy protests at home.
Senior officials in Jerusalem placed the responsibility for Sunday's violence on the Syrian police.
"Syria is trying to divert attention from the massacre that [Syria] is carrying out against its citizens with the provocation on the border," a senior official said. "We sent messages in recent days to both Syria and Lebanon. Lebanon prevented the protests, but Syria decided to carry out a provocation."
Factions: Golan massacre war crime
Palestinian national and Islamic forces in Gaza condemned on Monday the Israeli massacre in the Golan Heights against a peaceful march, describing it as a war crime.
The factions issued a joint statement at conclusion of a meeting called for by the Islamic Jihad movement urging the world community to immediately intervene to bridle the Israeli occupation’s crimes.
They stressed that the Palestinian people are determined to continue in their national struggle, underlining that resistance is a legitimate right until liberation, independence, and return are achieved.
The factions mourned the dead and wished speedy recovery for the wounded in those marches.
US 'deeply troubled' at killings on Israel-Syria border
State department calls on sides to exercise restraint as protestors declare they plan on staging sit-down near fence throughout the night.
The United States said Sunday it is "deeply troubled" over clashes on the Syrian border with Israel that reportedly resulted in 20 deaths, and called for calm on both sides.
Meanwhile, the protestors said they were planning to stage a sit-down opposite the border throughout the night.
Israeli troops opened fire as protesters from Syria on Sunday stormed a ceasefire line in the Golan Heights.
"We are deeply troubled by events that took place earlier today in the Golan Heights resulting in injuries and the loss of life," the State Department said in a statement.
"We call for all sides to exercise restraint. Provocative actions like this should be avoided."
The US statement emphasized that "Israel, like any sovereign nation, has a right to defend itself."
Hundreds of protesters rushed towards the ceasefire line on Sunday, cutting through barbed wire as they tried to enter the Golan Heights in a repeat of demonstrations last month that saw thousands mass along Israel's north.
"Despite numerous warnings, both verbal and later warning shots in the air, dozens of Syrians continue to approach the border and IDF (Israel Defense Forces) forces were left with no choice but to open fire towards the feet of protesters in efforts to deter further actions," an Israeli army spokesman told AFP.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4078680,00.html
Syria condemns killing of protestors
Damascus issues statement saying 'Naksa Day' clashes exposed Israel's 'terrorist policy.' Meanwhile, PM Netanyahu says Sunday's border clashes were not incidental; accuses Syrian regime of failing to prevent provocations.
The Syrian foreign ministry on Monday issued a statement condemning the killing of protestors on the Israeli border on Sunday in what it described as "flagrant Israeli aggression" against unarmed civilians.
Damascus is using 'Naksa Day' events to divert the international community's attention from its own violent crackdown of anti-government protests. The attack exposed Israel's terrorist policy, the Syrian statement read.
Meanwhile, the United States said Monday that Syria was "clearly" behind the lethal confrontations and that Israel has a right to defend itself.
"This is clearly an attempt by Syria to incite these kinds of protests," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, saying Damascus hoped to divert attention from its own internal problems. "Israel, like any sovereign nation, has a right to defend itself."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the border clashes in a Likud faction meeting on Monday. "They were not incidental," he said. "There is an attempt to inflame the border."
The prime minister stressed that soldiers fired at the protestors as a last resort. "We must defend our borders, as any country is obligated to do. The IDF followed international law codes, we warned we would defend our borders. We issued warnings to neighboring states as well as repeated alerts on the field."
Netanyahu also accused the Syrian regime of failing to prevent the clashes. "Sadly, I cannot say that the Syrian government pulled all its weight to prevent the provocations. It allowed these people to cause provocations that challenged Israel's sovereignty.
"There is an attempt to divert international attention away from events inside Syria."
Netanyahu also declared "we maintain our right to defend our borders, communities and citizens. We shall do so with the utmost restraint and responsibility."
Earlier on Monday, dozens arrived at the Shouting Hill near the Syrian border but did not approach the fence. The IDF is prepared for any possible infiltration attempt.
Russia said on Monday it was "deeply concerned" by an upsurge in confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians.
"We express deep concern in relation to the new surge of Israeli-Palestinian confrontations. The death and injury of many peaceful demonstrators in the course of these protests is of particular concern," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4079226,00.html
Report: Fatah vows retaliation for Naksa Day deaths
Fatah's armed group will determine the "right time and place" to retaliate inside Palestine for the deaths of Palestinian refugees by Israeli fire along the Syria-Israel ceasefire line, an official was reported saying in southern Lebanon on Monday
“Palestine will be liberated through resistance because negotiations are useless,” Fatah leader in Lebanon Muneer Maqdah was quoted by the country's daily news site NOW Lebanon as saying during a rally to mourn what Syrian state television said were 23 marchers killed by Israeli fire during a protest rally the day before.
He called the incident, which saw hundreds mass at the Syria-Israel ceasefire line in the Golan Heights and march over the frontier toward lands occupied by Israel on 5 June 1967, "the massacre in Golan, Maroun Ar-Ras and Palestine," the report said.
Palestinians in the Saida refugee camp in southern Lebanon reportedly went on strike for the day, in protest against the deaths.
NOW Lebanon reported the closure of all educational, social and medical institutions inside the refugee camps in the south, and blockade of their entrances with burning tires.
The news report said the refugees were angered over the death of what Syrian TV said was 23 pro-Palestinian supporters in a march that saw hundreds attempt to breach the ceasefire line between the Syrian Golan Heights and the Israeli occupied section of the plateau.
The march - commemorating the 44th anniversary of Israel's occupation of the Golan - was a repeat of a march that took place on 15 May, commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the forced exile of 800,000 Palestinian refugees during fighting that preceded the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
During the May march, Palestinian refugees and their supporters from Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza all marched toward the borders of Israel and demanded their right of return to their homes. Four were killed on the Syrian border and ten in Lebanon by Israeli fire.
Protesters from Lebanon were expected to march once again to the border with Israel on Sunday, but were prevented from accessing the south by forces from the Lebanese army.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=394201
US 'deeply troubled
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Sunday's protests along Israel's borders were designed to draw attention to the plight of Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled from their homes during Israel's war of independence in 1948.
Now, around half a million Palestinian refugees live across 13 camps in Syria. The US state department expressed its concern over the clashes, saying: "We are deeply troubled by events that took place earlier today in the Golan Heights resulting in injuries and the loss of life. "We call for all sides to exercise restraint. Provocative actions like this should be avoided." |
The US statement emphasised that "Israel, like any sovereign nation, has a right to defend itself".
Meanwhile in the occupied West Bank, skirmishes broke out at the main crossing into Jerusalem as several hundred Palestinian young people tried to approach the checkpoint.
Reacting to Sunday's incidents, Mustafa Barghouthi, an independent Palestinian politician, told Al Jazeera: "What we saw in the Golan Heights, and in front of the checkpoint to Jerusalem, were peaceful Palestinian demonstrators demanding their freedom and the end of occupation, which has become the longest in modern history.
"And they were encountered by terrible violence from Israel. They have used gunshots, tear gas, sound bombs and canisters emanating dangerous chemicals against demonstrators.
"They also beat us. I was one of those who was beaten today by the Israel soldiers today while we were peacefully trying to reach the checkpoint to Jerusalem."
Israeli account
Israel has accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of permitting the Golan protests to try to divert international attention from his bloody suppression of the popular revolt against his authoritarian rule.
Giving Israel's version of the events, Avital Leibovich, the Israeli army's spokesman, told Al Jazeera: "We [the military] saw near 12 noon an angry mob of a few hundreds of Syrians trying to reach the border fence between Israel and Syria.
"We did three steps. We first warned them verbally, we told them not to get close to the fence in order for them not to endanger their lives.
"When this failed, we fired warning shots into the air. When this failed, we had to open fire selectively at their feet in order to prevent an escalation."
The Israeli military also accused the Syrian government of instigating the protests to deflect attention from its crackdown of a popular uprising at home.
"This is an attempt to divert international attention from the bloodbath going on in Syria,'' Leibovich said.
Israel had vowed to prevent a repeat of a similar demonstration last month, in which hundreds of people burst across the border into the Golan Heights.
More than a dozen people were killed in that unrest, in which protesters had gathered to mark the 63rd anniversary of the "Nakba", to mark the expulsion of an estimated 700,000 Palestinians following Israel's 1948 declaration of statehood.
Meanwhile in the occupied West Bank, skirmishes broke out at the main crossing into Jerusalem as several hundred Palestinian young people tried to approach the checkpoint.
Reacting to Sunday's incidents, Mustafa Barghouthi, an independent Palestinian politician, told Al Jazeera: "What we saw in the Golan Heights, and in front of the checkpoint to Jerusalem, were peaceful Palestinian demonstrators demanding their freedom and the end of occupation, which has become the longest in modern history.
"And they were encountered by terrible violence from Israel. They have used gunshots, tear gas, sound bombs and canisters emanating dangerous chemicals against demonstrators.
"They also beat us. I was one of those who was beaten today by the Israel soldiers today while we were peacefully trying to reach the checkpoint to Jerusalem."
Israeli account
Israel has accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of permitting the Golan protests to try to divert international attention from his bloody suppression of the popular revolt against his authoritarian rule.
Giving Israel's version of the events, Avital Leibovich, the Israeli army's spokesman, told Al Jazeera: "We [the military] saw near 12 noon an angry mob of a few hundreds of Syrians trying to reach the border fence between Israel and Syria.
"We did three steps. We first warned them verbally, we told them not to get close to the fence in order for them not to endanger their lives.
"When this failed, we fired warning shots into the air. When this failed, we had to open fire selectively at their feet in order to prevent an escalation."
The Israeli military also accused the Syrian government of instigating the protests to deflect attention from its crackdown of a popular uprising at home.
"This is an attempt to divert international attention from the bloodbath going on in Syria,'' Leibovich said.
Israel had vowed to prevent a repeat of a similar demonstration last month, in which hundreds of people burst across the border into the Golan Heights.
More than a dozen people were killed in that unrest, in which protesters had gathered to mark the 63rd anniversary of the "Nakba", to mark the expulsion of an estimated 700,000 Palestinians following Israel's 1948 declaration of statehood.
24 Killed By Israeli Fire In the Golan, 350 Injured
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Syrian media sources confirmed that Israeli soldiers shot and killed on Sunday 24 protesters who gathered on the Syrian side of the border of the Israeli occupied Golan Heights marking the Naksa Day, while at least 350 were injured.
Thousands of Palestinian refugees and supporters marched near the border marking the Naksa, the day Israel the illegally arrested the rest of Palestine in 1967. The protesters were demanding their right to return to their homeland when the Israeli forces opened fire at them. At least eight of the wounded are in serious conditions. Eyewitnesses told media agencies that the Israeli army used live ammunition, gas bombs and and phosphorous munition, and that the soldiers were directly aiming at the protesters leading to this large number of casualties. The army even set ablaze several areas near the border fence in at attempt to prevent the protesters from marching to the border, eyewitnesses added. A 23-year-old woman, identified as Enas Shreitih, from Al Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria was also among the killed by Israeli fire. She is originally from Yatta city, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Meanwhile, the Hamas-led government of Ismail Haniyya in Gaza announced mourning following the deadly Israeli military attack against the protesters in the Golan, and said that all victims are the sons and daughters of Palestine who refuse to remain in exile while Israel occupies their homeland. '23 dead' as Israel opens fire on Golan Syrian state media says at least 23 people have been killed and 350 more wounded after Israeli forces opened fire along the frontier to disperse pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempting to breach the border. The official SANA news agency quoted Wel al-Halki, the country's health minister, as saying the dead included a woman and a 12-year-old boy. The reported deaths occurred as the protesters marching from the Golan Heights approached the border on Sunday, a day observed as "Naksa Day" or "Day of Defeat", marking the 44th anniversary of the 1967 war, when Israel occupied the area. "Anyone who tries to cross the border will be killed," Israeli soldiers reportedly shouted through loudspeakers at the crowd of several hundreds. Protesters waved Palestinian flags and threw rocks and rubbish over the border fence. Protesters, most of them young men, eventually managed to cut through coils of barbed wire marking the frontier, entering a buffer zone and crawling towards a second fence guarded by Israeli troops. A Reuters correspondent at the scene saw at least 11 demonstrators |
carried away on stretchers by the crowd.
"We were trying to cut the barbed wire when the Israeli soldiers began shooting directly at us," Ghayath Awad, a 29-year-old Palestinian who had been shot in the waist, told the AP news agency.
'23 dead' as Israel opens fire on Golan
Israeli troops opened fire on Sunday as protesters from Syria stormed a ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights, with Damascus saying 23 demonstrators were killed.
Hundreds of protesters rushed the ceasefire line, cutting through barbed wire as they tried to enter the Golan Heights in a repeat of demonstrations last month when thousands massed along Israel's north.
Similar protests were held in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.
In Majdal Shams, on the occupied Golan, Israeli troops opened fire as demonstrators sought to push through the mined ceasefire line, which had been reinforced with several rows of barbed wire blocking access to a fence.
"Despite numerous warnings, both verbal and later warning shots in the air, dozens of Syrians continue to approach the border and IDF [Israeli army] forces were left with no choice but to open fire towards the feet of protesters in efforts to deter further actions," an army spokesman told AFP.
Updating an earlier toll, Syrian state media reported that 23 people were killed, including a woman and child, and 350 were wounded. The Israeli military said it was aware of 12 casualties.
The United States called for calm.
"We are deeply troubled by events that took place earlier today in the Golan Heights resulting in injuries and the loss of life," the State Department said in a statement.
"We call for all sides to exercise restraint. Provocative actions like this should be avoided."
The US statement emphasized that "Israel, like any sovereign nation, has a right to defend itself."
The Israeli military also said that one person was wounded when at least one landmine exploded on Syria's side of the border.
"A Syrian mine exploded, seemingly because Molotov cocktails thrown at [Israeli] forces started a bush fire which caused the explosion of the mine, a number of mines even," an army spokeswoman told AFP. "Apparently there is one person wounded on the Syrian side."
Israeli public radio said "many" people were hurt in the explosion near Quneitra, which lies in no-man's land. There was no immediate confirmation from Syria.
In Majdal Shams, locals pleaded with soldiers to stop firing as troops used loudspeakers to warn demonstrators in Arabic that "anyone who comes close to the fence will be responsible for their own blood."
Israeli forces were on high alert after activists in the West Bank and Gaza, and in nations bordering Israel, called for protesters to march on Israeli checkpoints and border areas.
Military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovitz accused Syria of orchestrating the Golan protest to deflect attention from deadly domestic anti-regime demonstrations.
"We believe that the Syrian regime is focusing the world's attention on the border with Israel instead of what is happening there," she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Golan demonstrators "extremist elements" who "are trying to break through our borders and threaten our communities and our citizens."
Protests were also staged in Gaza and the West Bank, where 16 demonstrators were taken to hospital with light wounds from rubber bullets, and another 20 were treated for tear gas inhalation.
Around 100 people demonstrated in central Hebron in the southern West Bank, while dozens of protesters tried to march from the northern West Bank village of Deir Al-Hatab to the nearby Elon Moreh settlement.
In Gaza, Hamas police arrested around a dozen protesters who broke away from a rally at the northern town of Beit Hanoun, and tried to march to the Erez border crossing with Israel.
Sunday's protests, timed to coincide with the 44th anniversary of the Six-Day War when Israel captured the Golan from Syria as well as the West Bank and Gaza Strip, were planned as a repeat of massive demonstrations last month.
On May 15, thousands of protesters massed on Israel's borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, trying to force their way across on the anniversary of the mass dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 creation of the state of Israel.
Israeli fire left six demonstrators dead on the Lebanese side of the border and four dead on Syria's side.
In Lebanon, Palestinian refugees on Sunday staged a day of mourning but the Lebanese army banned any gatherings at the border to avoid a repeat of the violence.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393932
Israeli Forces Murder 20 Middle Eastern Protesters During Golan Heights Demo
Twenty protesters, including a 12-year-old boy, have been shot dead by Israeli forces near the border fence on Golan Heights.
Another 325 people were injured.
The violence occurred as a large crowd of pro-Palestinian demonstrators approached the border to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Six-Day War.
An Israeli military spokesman said the soldiers fired at demonstrators after warning them to back away.
"Despite numerous warnings, both verbal and later warning shots in the air, dozens of Syrians continue to approach the border and IDF (Israel Defence Force) forces were left with no choice but to open fire towards the feet of protesters in efforts to deter further actions."
On the Israeli side, locals - many of whom are Syrian citizens - from the Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams shouted at the soldiers, calling on them to stop firing.
Meanwhile, the troops used loudspeakers to warn demonstrators in Arabic that "anyone who comes close to the fence will be responsible for their own blood."
Hundreds of protesters rushed towards the ceasefire line, attempting to cut through a line of barbed wire and head into the Golan Heights in a repeat of demonstrations last month, which saw thousands mass along Israel's north.
Protester Mohammed Shaiber told Syrian TV:
"Our aim is to plant the Syrian flag on the occupied land."
On May 15, protesters massed on Israel's borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, trying to force their way across on the anniversary of Israel's creation.
The Israeli military accused Syria of instigating the disturbances to deflect attention from its bloody crackdown on a popular uprising at home.
Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokeswoman said:
"This is an attempt to divert international attention from the bloodbath going on in Syria."
"In the end, we are guarding our border. I wish they had obeyed our verbal warnings, but they chose instead to clash with the soldiers."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet:
"Unfortunately, extremist forces around us are trying today to breach our borders and threaten our communities and our citizens. We will not let them do that."
List of Israeli assassinations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_assassinations
"We were trying to cut the barbed wire when the Israeli soldiers began shooting directly at us," Ghayath Awad, a 29-year-old Palestinian who had been shot in the waist, told the AP news agency.
'23 dead' as Israel opens fire on Golan
Israeli troops opened fire on Sunday as protesters from Syria stormed a ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights, with Damascus saying 23 demonstrators were killed.
Hundreds of protesters rushed the ceasefire line, cutting through barbed wire as they tried to enter the Golan Heights in a repeat of demonstrations last month when thousands massed along Israel's north.
Similar protests were held in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.
In Majdal Shams, on the occupied Golan, Israeli troops opened fire as demonstrators sought to push through the mined ceasefire line, which had been reinforced with several rows of barbed wire blocking access to a fence.
"Despite numerous warnings, both verbal and later warning shots in the air, dozens of Syrians continue to approach the border and IDF [Israeli army] forces were left with no choice but to open fire towards the feet of protesters in efforts to deter further actions," an army spokesman told AFP.
Updating an earlier toll, Syrian state media reported that 23 people were killed, including a woman and child, and 350 were wounded. The Israeli military said it was aware of 12 casualties.
The United States called for calm.
"We are deeply troubled by events that took place earlier today in the Golan Heights resulting in injuries and the loss of life," the State Department said in a statement.
"We call for all sides to exercise restraint. Provocative actions like this should be avoided."
The US statement emphasized that "Israel, like any sovereign nation, has a right to defend itself."
The Israeli military also said that one person was wounded when at least one landmine exploded on Syria's side of the border.
"A Syrian mine exploded, seemingly because Molotov cocktails thrown at [Israeli] forces started a bush fire which caused the explosion of the mine, a number of mines even," an army spokeswoman told AFP. "Apparently there is one person wounded on the Syrian side."
Israeli public radio said "many" people were hurt in the explosion near Quneitra, which lies in no-man's land. There was no immediate confirmation from Syria.
In Majdal Shams, locals pleaded with soldiers to stop firing as troops used loudspeakers to warn demonstrators in Arabic that "anyone who comes close to the fence will be responsible for their own blood."
Israeli forces were on high alert after activists in the West Bank and Gaza, and in nations bordering Israel, called for protesters to march on Israeli checkpoints and border areas.
Military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovitz accused Syria of orchestrating the Golan protest to deflect attention from deadly domestic anti-regime demonstrations.
"We believe that the Syrian regime is focusing the world's attention on the border with Israel instead of what is happening there," she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Golan demonstrators "extremist elements" who "are trying to break through our borders and threaten our communities and our citizens."
Protests were also staged in Gaza and the West Bank, where 16 demonstrators were taken to hospital with light wounds from rubber bullets, and another 20 were treated for tear gas inhalation.
Around 100 people demonstrated in central Hebron in the southern West Bank, while dozens of protesters tried to march from the northern West Bank village of Deir Al-Hatab to the nearby Elon Moreh settlement.
In Gaza, Hamas police arrested around a dozen protesters who broke away from a rally at the northern town of Beit Hanoun, and tried to march to the Erez border crossing with Israel.
Sunday's protests, timed to coincide with the 44th anniversary of the Six-Day War when Israel captured the Golan from Syria as well as the West Bank and Gaza Strip, were planned as a repeat of massive demonstrations last month.
On May 15, thousands of protesters massed on Israel's borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, trying to force their way across on the anniversary of the mass dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 creation of the state of Israel.
Israeli fire left six demonstrators dead on the Lebanese side of the border and four dead on Syria's side.
In Lebanon, Palestinian refugees on Sunday staged a day of mourning but the Lebanese army banned any gatherings at the border to avoid a repeat of the violence.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393932
Israeli Forces Murder 20 Middle Eastern Protesters During Golan Heights Demo
Twenty protesters, including a 12-year-old boy, have been shot dead by Israeli forces near the border fence on Golan Heights.
Another 325 people were injured.
The violence occurred as a large crowd of pro-Palestinian demonstrators approached the border to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Six-Day War.
An Israeli military spokesman said the soldiers fired at demonstrators after warning them to back away.
"Despite numerous warnings, both verbal and later warning shots in the air, dozens of Syrians continue to approach the border and IDF (Israel Defence Force) forces were left with no choice but to open fire towards the feet of protesters in efforts to deter further actions."
On the Israeli side, locals - many of whom are Syrian citizens - from the Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams shouted at the soldiers, calling on them to stop firing.
Meanwhile, the troops used loudspeakers to warn demonstrators in Arabic that "anyone who comes close to the fence will be responsible for their own blood."
Hundreds of protesters rushed towards the ceasefire line, attempting to cut through a line of barbed wire and head into the Golan Heights in a repeat of demonstrations last month, which saw thousands mass along Israel's north.
Protester Mohammed Shaiber told Syrian TV:
"Our aim is to plant the Syrian flag on the occupied land."
On May 15, protesters massed on Israel's borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, trying to force their way across on the anniversary of Israel's creation.
The Israeli military accused Syria of instigating the disturbances to deflect attention from its bloody crackdown on a popular uprising at home.
Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokeswoman said:
"This is an attempt to divert international attention from the bloodbath going on in Syria."
"In the end, we are guarding our border. I wish they had obeyed our verbal warnings, but they chose instead to clash with the soldiers."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet:
"Unfortunately, extremist forces around us are trying today to breach our borders and threaten our communities and our citizens. We will not let them do that."
List of Israeli assassinations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_assassinations
5 june 2011
Names and pictures of the martyrs
|
Thaer Adel Hussein
Wasim Dawat Shadi Hussein Ibrahim Issa Izzat Muswadeh Mohammad al-Ashmawi Mahmoud al-Arja Ayman al-Hassan Samir al-Zoubi Ali Amshawi Mahmoud Awad al-Sawan Ahmad Mahmoud al-Said |
Majdi Zeidan
Alaa Hussein al-Wahish Muhammad Deeb Issa Ahmad Yaser al-Rashdan Said Hussein Ahmad Ahmad Mahmoud al-Hajah Abdel Rahman al-Jareedeh Ramzi Said Fayez Ahmad Abbas Fadi Majed Nahar Jihad Ahmad Awad Enas Shreitah |
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Israeli forces kill at least 20 people and injure nearly 325 others near Syria's Golan Heights, attacking the protesters, who were marking the anniversary of occupation of Arab lands by Tel Aviv.
Israeli forces have opened fire on protesters inside Syria as they were approaching the occupied territories on Sunday. According to the Syrian TV, a child is among those killed by the Israeli gunfire. The demonstrators have announced that they plan to stage a sit-in along the border in protest at the Israeli occupation and atrocities. |
The state-run television also said three of the wounded where in critical condition from Sunday's shooting.
The television showed footage of Israeli soldiers on top of a tank opening fire on the protesters. Israeli troops have been beefed up near Syria and Lebanon as well as in Jerusalem al-Quds.
The protesters flocked to Golan border on Naksa Day to mark the 44th anniversary of the beginning of Israel's 1967 Six-Day War against Arabs. Israel declared northern Golan a closed military zone.
Thousands of Israeli security forces were also on high alert on 'Naksa Day', fearing possible unrest.
Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli troops in the Qalandiya village near the city of Ramallah in central West Bank.Live footage broadcast on Syrian TV and Al-Jazeera also showed heavy gunfire along the Golan Heights border and protesters carrying wounded people away.
Israel captured the Golan from Syria in 1967, along with the Palestinian territories of West Bank, East al-Quds and Gaza Strip.
The events came exactly three weeks after tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon and Syria, marked Nakba (catastrophe) Day on May 15.
In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military killed two protesters, including one Palestinian teenager, and injuring at least 65 others on the Nakba Day.
Also on May 15, one person was also killed and at least 150 hurt in the Qalandiya on the same day.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/183271.html
'14 dead' as Israel opens fire on Golan
Israeli troops opened fire on Sunday as protesters from Syria stormed a ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights, with Damascus saying 14 demonstrators were killed.
Hundreds of protesters rushed towards the ceasefire line, cutting through barbed wire as they tried to enter the occupied Golan Heights in a repeat of demonstrations last month that saw thousands mass along the line separating Israeli-controlled territory from Syria.
Similar protests were held in the West Bank, where hundreds demonstrated at the Qalandiya checkpoint near Ramallah, and in the Gaza Strip, where several hundred more gathered.
In Majdal Shams, Israeli troops opened fire as demonstrators sought to push through the mined ceasefire line, which had been reinforced with several rows of barbed wire blocking access to a fence since the 15 May demonstration.
"Despite numerous warnings, both verbal and later warning shots in the air, dozens of Syrians continue to approach the border and IDF [Israel Forces] forces were left with no choice but to open fire towards the feet of protesters in efforts to deter further actions," an army spokesman told AFP.
Updating an earlier toll, Syrian state media reported that 14 people were killed, including a woman and child, and more than 220 wounded. The Israeli military said it was aware of 12 casualties.
The Israeli military also said that a person was wounded when at least one landmine exploded on Syria's side of the heights.
"A Syrian mine exploded, seemingly because Molotov cocktails thrown at [Israeli] forces started a bush fire which caused the explosion of the mine, a number of mines even," an army spokeswoman told AFP. "Apparently there is one person wounded on the Syrian side."
Israeli public radio said "many" people were hurt in the explosion near Quneitra, which lies in no-man's land. There was no immediate confirmation from Syria.
In Majdal Shams, locals pleaded with soldiers to stop firing as troops used loudspeakers to warn demonstrators in Arabic that "anyone who comes close to the fence will be responsible for their own blood."
Israeli forces were on high alert after activists in the West Bank and Gaza, and in Arab nations bordering the Jewish state, called for protesters to march on Israeli checkpoints and border areas.
Military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovitz accused Syria of orchestrating the Golan protest to deflect attention from deadly domestic anti-regime demonstrations.
"We believe that the Syrian regime is focusing the world's attention on the border with Israel instead of what is happening there," she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Golan demonstrators "extremist elements" who "are trying to break through our borders and threaten our communities and our citizens."
Protests were also staged in Gaza and the West Bank, where hundreds of people marched to the Qalandiya checkpoint by Ramallah, throwing stones at troops who replied with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Sixteen demonstrators were taken to hospital with light wounds from rubber bullets, and another 20 were treated for tear gas inhalation.
Elsewhere, around 100 people demonstrated in central Hebron in the southern West Bank, while dozens of protesters tried to march from the northern West Bank village of Deir Al-Hatab to the nearby Elon Moreh settlement.
In Gaza, Hamas police arrested around a dozen protesters who broke away from a rally at the northern town of Beit Hanoun, and tried to march to the Erez border crossing with Israel.
Sunday's protests, timed to coincide with the 44th anniversary of the Six-Day War when Israel captured the Golan from Syria as well as the West Bank and Gaza Strip, were planned as a repeat of massive demonstrations last month.
On May 15, thousands of protesters massed on Israel's borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, trying to force their way across on the anniversary of Israel's creation.
Israeli troops opened fire on demonstrators in Syria and Lebanon, leaving six dead on the Lebanese side of the border and four dead on Syria's side.
In Lebanon, Palestinian refugees on Sunday staged a day of mourning but the Lebanese army banned any gatherings at the border to avoid a repeat of the violence.
But an Iranian delegation toured the border area and a parliamentary official from Iran waved a Palestinian flag at Israeli soldiers watching from the other side.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393932
IOF kill 5 at border, Syrian TV says
State-run Syrian television says five people have been killed and nine others wounded in Israeli gunfire along the Syrian frontier.
The Israeli Occupation Forces opened fire to disperse a crowd of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who approached the border. The Palestinians are marking the anniversary of the 1967 Mideast war.
Syrian TV said three of the wounded where in critical condition from Sunday’s shooting.
Live footage broadcast on Syrian TV and Al-Jazeera showed heavy gunfire along the Golan Heights border and protesters carrying wounded people away.
Israel captured the Golan from Syria in 1967, along with the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.
http://gazatvnews.com/2011/06/iof-kill-5at-border-syrian-tv-says/
The television showed footage of Israeli soldiers on top of a tank opening fire on the protesters. Israeli troops have been beefed up near Syria and Lebanon as well as in Jerusalem al-Quds.
The protesters flocked to Golan border on Naksa Day to mark the 44th anniversary of the beginning of Israel's 1967 Six-Day War against Arabs. Israel declared northern Golan a closed military zone.
Thousands of Israeli security forces were also on high alert on 'Naksa Day', fearing possible unrest.
Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli troops in the Qalandiya village near the city of Ramallah in central West Bank.Live footage broadcast on Syrian TV and Al-Jazeera also showed heavy gunfire along the Golan Heights border and protesters carrying wounded people away.
Israel captured the Golan from Syria in 1967, along with the Palestinian territories of West Bank, East al-Quds and Gaza Strip.
The events came exactly three weeks after tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon and Syria, marked Nakba (catastrophe) Day on May 15.
In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military killed two protesters, including one Palestinian teenager, and injuring at least 65 others on the Nakba Day.
Also on May 15, one person was also killed and at least 150 hurt in the Qalandiya on the same day.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/183271.html
'14 dead' as Israel opens fire on Golan
Israeli troops opened fire on Sunday as protesters from Syria stormed a ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights, with Damascus saying 14 demonstrators were killed.
Hundreds of protesters rushed towards the ceasefire line, cutting through barbed wire as they tried to enter the occupied Golan Heights in a repeat of demonstrations last month that saw thousands mass along the line separating Israeli-controlled territory from Syria.
Similar protests were held in the West Bank, where hundreds demonstrated at the Qalandiya checkpoint near Ramallah, and in the Gaza Strip, where several hundred more gathered.
In Majdal Shams, Israeli troops opened fire as demonstrators sought to push through the mined ceasefire line, which had been reinforced with several rows of barbed wire blocking access to a fence since the 15 May demonstration.
"Despite numerous warnings, both verbal and later warning shots in the air, dozens of Syrians continue to approach the border and IDF [Israel Forces] forces were left with no choice but to open fire towards the feet of protesters in efforts to deter further actions," an army spokesman told AFP.
Updating an earlier toll, Syrian state media reported that 14 people were killed, including a woman and child, and more than 220 wounded. The Israeli military said it was aware of 12 casualties.
The Israeli military also said that a person was wounded when at least one landmine exploded on Syria's side of the heights.
"A Syrian mine exploded, seemingly because Molotov cocktails thrown at [Israeli] forces started a bush fire which caused the explosion of the mine, a number of mines even," an army spokeswoman told AFP. "Apparently there is one person wounded on the Syrian side."
Israeli public radio said "many" people were hurt in the explosion near Quneitra, which lies in no-man's land. There was no immediate confirmation from Syria.
In Majdal Shams, locals pleaded with soldiers to stop firing as troops used loudspeakers to warn demonstrators in Arabic that "anyone who comes close to the fence will be responsible for their own blood."
Israeli forces were on high alert after activists in the West Bank and Gaza, and in Arab nations bordering the Jewish state, called for protesters to march on Israeli checkpoints and border areas.
Military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovitz accused Syria of orchestrating the Golan protest to deflect attention from deadly domestic anti-regime demonstrations.
"We believe that the Syrian regime is focusing the world's attention on the border with Israel instead of what is happening there," she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Golan demonstrators "extremist elements" who "are trying to break through our borders and threaten our communities and our citizens."
Protests were also staged in Gaza and the West Bank, where hundreds of people marched to the Qalandiya checkpoint by Ramallah, throwing stones at troops who replied with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Sixteen demonstrators were taken to hospital with light wounds from rubber bullets, and another 20 were treated for tear gas inhalation.
Elsewhere, around 100 people demonstrated in central Hebron in the southern West Bank, while dozens of protesters tried to march from the northern West Bank village of Deir Al-Hatab to the nearby Elon Moreh settlement.
In Gaza, Hamas police arrested around a dozen protesters who broke away from a rally at the northern town of Beit Hanoun, and tried to march to the Erez border crossing with Israel.
Sunday's protests, timed to coincide with the 44th anniversary of the Six-Day War when Israel captured the Golan from Syria as well as the West Bank and Gaza Strip, were planned as a repeat of massive demonstrations last month.
On May 15, thousands of protesters massed on Israel's borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, trying to force their way across on the anniversary of Israel's creation.
Israeli troops opened fire on demonstrators in Syria and Lebanon, leaving six dead on the Lebanese side of the border and four dead on Syria's side.
In Lebanon, Palestinian refugees on Sunday staged a day of mourning but the Lebanese army banned any gatherings at the border to avoid a repeat of the violence.
But an Iranian delegation toured the border area and a parliamentary official from Iran waved a Palestinian flag at Israeli soldiers watching from the other side.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393932
IOF kill 5 at border, Syrian TV says
State-run Syrian television says five people have been killed and nine others wounded in Israeli gunfire along the Syrian frontier.
The Israeli Occupation Forces opened fire to disperse a crowd of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who approached the border. The Palestinians are marking the anniversary of the 1967 Mideast war.
Syrian TV said three of the wounded where in critical condition from Sunday’s shooting.
Live footage broadcast on Syrian TV and Al-Jazeera showed heavy gunfire along the Golan Heights border and protesters carrying wounded people away.
Israel captured the Golan from Syria in 1967, along with the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.
http://gazatvnews.com/2011/06/iof-kill-5at-border-syrian-tv-says/
Mohammad Nabil Abu A'qel
A Palestinian was pronounced dead in an Egyptian hospital on Saturday, with doctors telling Ma'an he died of wounds sustained by Israeli fire during the 2006 incursion.
Mohammad Nabil Abu A'qel was shot in the chest during the summer of 2006 and suffered severe internal bleeding and lung problems, with the bullet penetrating into the central tissue of the lung, doctors explained.
The man was transferred to Egypt for treatment in on 30 March 2011 when his condition deteriorated. He was scheduled for a surgery on Sunday, but died one day before.
He was buried in his home town of Jabaliya, after his body was returned to the family in Gaza via the Rafah crossing.
Following the capture of an Israeli soldier in June 2006, Israeli forces waged an offensive on the coastal enclave, named Operation Summer Rains, in an attempt to pressure the captors of the soldier to release him to his family.
More than a month of air and artillery strikes saw the power station hit repeatedly, cutting electricity to the the central Strip. More than 400 were killed and estimates put the injured over 1,000.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393999
A Palestinian was pronounced dead in an Egyptian hospital on Saturday, with doctors telling Ma'an he died of wounds sustained by Israeli fire during the 2006 incursion.
Mohammad Nabil Abu A'qel was shot in the chest during the summer of 2006 and suffered severe internal bleeding and lung problems, with the bullet penetrating into the central tissue of the lung, doctors explained.
The man was transferred to Egypt for treatment in on 30 March 2011 when his condition deteriorated. He was scheduled for a surgery on Sunday, but died one day before.
He was buried in his home town of Jabaliya, after his body was returned to the family in Gaza via the Rafah crossing.
Following the capture of an Israeli soldier in June 2006, Israeli forces waged an offensive on the coastal enclave, named Operation Summer Rains, in an attempt to pressure the captors of the soldier to release him to his family.
More than a month of air and artillery strikes saw the power station hit repeatedly, cutting electricity to the the central Strip. More than 400 were killed and estimates put the injured over 1,000.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393999
