As America Opens its Jerusalem Embassy, Protests in Gaza Escalate and 16 Palestinians are Killed

The "Great Return March" in Gaza continued this weekend, but the focus is now on America's embassy opening in Jerusalem today, scheduled to coincide with Israel's 70th anniversary. Over the weekend 16 Palestinians died with hundreds wounded. 59 have been killed since protests began in April with thousands wounded. President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital has inflamed these protests and drawn criticism from the International community.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state, but Israel has annexed East Jerusalem and declared the entire city as its capital, a move condemned by the UN and most countries. Moving the US embassy to Jerusalem is seen as recognizing Israel's annexation, but its not the only reason for recent protests in Gaza. Hamas, which governs Gaza, also wants to draw attention to Israel's blockade of the territory. On the other hand, Israel claims the Palestinian protesters in Gaza are trying to breach the border fence and violate Israel's sovereignty, and possibly even attack Israeli communities nearby.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are scheduled to attend today's embassy opening in Jerusalem. In Gaza more protests are scheduled for today and Tuesday. More bloodshed is expected.

#gaza #Israel