Gaza And Jerusalem Flashcards
*** “peace in the middle east” has been a goal that many American presidents have sought to facilitate, and East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine for any prospective two-state agreement has been essential to that.
When Trump announced in December 2017 his unilateral decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, US allies, from Saudi Arabia to Great Britain, warned of the consequences of such a decision. The deaths on Tuesday, including allegedly of a nine-month-old infant, are a ghastly but predictable outcome of the December decision.
On May 15, at the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem, John Hagee, an evangelical from Texas said that Donald Trump would “historically step into immortality”. A few dozen kilometres away, on the “border” with Gaza, 59 civilians were killed and about 2,700 injured by Israeli troops firing across a fence at protesters, reportedly unarmed. The protests were triggered by Trump’s decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv and may, in fact, end up cementing his place in history. But not in the way Hagee imagined.
The decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and the widely publicised celebration of the new embassy, has only drawn greater attention to the killings in Gaza, especially since both events took place almost simultaneously. Rather than attempt to soften Israel’s stand, especially its blockade of Gaza, the Trump administration has only deepened the anger in the region and increased fears of a greater number of Palestinians taking to extremist, violent tactics to achieve political ends.
The US president may indeed enter the history books for the direction he has taken in Israel and Palestine. But as things stand, it is unlikely to be for furthering either Israel’s security interests or the human rights of Palestinians.
Indian context:
India said that it was “deeply concerned” by the “loss of lives” and asked “all sides” to prevent an escalation in the volatile situation.
** The casualties resulted from Israeli soldiers open fire on thousands of Palestinians who had gathered to take part in the “Great March of Return” on Monday near the Gaza border. The protest march was in support of the right of Palestinian refugees to return to land that they had fled following the founding of Israel in 1948. The march also coincided with the dedication of the new US embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, a decision that was received with outrage and anger among Palestinians.**
India’s cautious phrasing is in contrast to statements from other major majors, which did not flinch from blaming or even condemning Israel for the bloodshed.
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