This might be a slightly out-of-template "article," despite only having one previous in-template article. There's been a whole lot happening with Israel, almost too much to cover. I'll do my best to bring you what I can find but an in depth and accurate juxtaposition doesn't seem likely.
If you do not have background knowledge on the status of Israel and Palestine and the mess that they are in, I encourage you to watch this video from BBC, which outlines part of the heart of the problem between the two parties.
The articles I'm pulling from today are from The Atlantic, The Economist, The Guardian, CNN, FOX and BBC. Their headlines are below.
In Photos: Chaos and Bloodshed in Gaza- The Atlantic
Israel must answer for the deaths in Gaza- The Economist
Some basic conclusions I drew were as follows
There were protests at the Gaza-Israel border in which people were killed.
Part of the reason for the protests is the US Embassy move
Protests are also as a result of the anniversary of the day Palestinians lost their homeland to Israel
Hamas was involved to an extent and continues to be involved
The international community generally condemns these actions
There were recently intense protests from Palestinians at the Israeli boarder. The situation is frankly awful for everyone involved. Most sources cover this, but The Economist sums it up best in this quote.
The fence between Gaza and Israel is no ordinary border. Gaza is a prison, not a state. Measuring 365 square kilometres and home to 2m people, it is one of the most crowded and miserable places on Earth. It is short of medicine, power and other essentials. The tap water is undrinkable; untreated sewage is pumped into the sea. Gaza already has one of the world’s highest jobless rates, at 44%.
The next thing to note is that there are many reasons the people are protesting. All sources point to the Palestinian anniversary of losing their land and some also note the opening of the US Embassy.
"The Palestinian demonstrations marked a confluence of events, including the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, (moved from Tel Aviv after President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel), and the upcoming 70th anniversary of what Palestinians call the nakba, or “catastrophe,” the day thousands were driven from their homes in 1948. "-The Atlantic
During the demonstrations, there were around 60 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, with reported numbers ranging from "at least 43" from The Atlantic, to 60 from both The Guardian and The Economist to finally 62 from FOX.
These deaths have since been labeled massacres and have been condemned by the international community; however, Israel isn't the only one under scrutiny. The decision to move the US Embassy is also under fire. The Economist says "Many countries have denounced Israel; a few have recalled diplomats. Some people accuse it of war crimes. Others blame President Donald Trump for causing the clashes by moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," while The Guardian adds "The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said he condemned “the violence of the Israeli armed forces against protesters” in a telephone call ... He reaffirmed his criticism of the US decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem."
Hamas also plays a big role as a sort of third party. They have claimed many of the dead as their own. CNN quotes al-Bardaweel, who states, "In the last round [of demonstrations] 62 people were martyred; 50 of them are from Hamas and 12 from the people." Israel has claimed that Hamas was almost fully, if not wholly, responsible for the protests as explanation for their actions and use of lethal force. The Guardian reports "Israel has accused Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, of being behind the protests and said it was merely defending its territory."
While most of this information is coming from earlier articles. FOX reported just today, May 18th, that protests are continuing a full 4 days later, Hamas now prompting the protests. It says "The Israel-Gaza border braces for more protests as Muslims observe the first Friday of Ramadan as Hamas calls on their people to restart demonstrations."
I strongly strongly encourage you to look through a couple of the articles listed at the head of the post. This is a wildly important issue that is far too complex to try and simplify. Stories like these serve as a reminder as to what The Rundown is really meant for, which is not for in-depth analysis of issues, but to bring people basic information from the biggest topics in current events.
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