ISRAELI TROOPS OPEN FIRE ON DEMONSTRATORS

Israeli Troops Open Fire On Demonstrators

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10:20pm UK, Sunday May 15, 2011
At least 16 people have reportedly been killed after Israeli troops opened
fire on protesters on the country's borders with Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.










The violence comes as Palestinians mark the 'Nakba' or catastrophe of
Israel's founding in 1948.
Reports from Israel Radio indicated pro-Palestinian demonstrators from Syriaapproached a frontier fence and were shot as they tried to break through to
the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Four people were reportedly killed and around 45 injured.
The Israeli military said in a statement: "Forces opened fire in order to
prevent the violent rioters from illegally infiltrating Israeli territory."


Israeli Defence Force: We Used Selective Fire










The Israeli army accused Syrian president Bashar al Assad's regime of
"organising" the violence as a means to divert attention from pro-democracy
protests in his country.
Meanwhile, Syria's foreign ministry condemned Israel's activities as
"criminal", adding the Jewish state would "have to bear full responsibility for
its actions".

The
fact that Israel's borders were threatened at three different points is
unprecedented. We have seen Palestinians in Gaza march on the border crossing
before but the border with Syria has been unviolated for
decades.

Middle East correspondent Dominic
Waghorn's analysis on the border breaches



A further 10 people were shot dead and more than 100 wounded at Israel's
border with Lebanon, Lebanese security sources said.
Shots were also fired at people approaching the Erez crossing on the Israeli
Gaza Strip barrier. Two people were reported dead and more than 50 injured.



The clashes are taking place on Israel's borders with
Lebanon, Syria and Gaza


There have also been fierce clashes near Ramallah in the West Bank and in
Issawiyeh, where Israeli forces used water cannons on Palestinians. They
retaliated by throwing rocks and other missiles.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped calm would be
restored quickly, but added: "Let nobody be mistaken, we are determined to
defend our borders and sovereignty."


'A Very Important Day For Palestinians'










Sky News' Middle East correspondent, Dominic Waghorn, in Jerusalem, said the
Nakba normally brought clashes, but that this violence was unprecedented.
"Thousands of Syrians, possibly Palestinian refugees who live in Syria, tried
to get through the border fence there.
"Scores of them seem to have got through and they were fired on by the
Israeli military.

If Syria feels under enough pressure it has buttons it can push
to destabilise other areas...

Read foreign affairs
editor Tim Marshall's blog



"Traditionally the Assad regime (in Syria) has stopped these protests getting
near the border fence and the Israelis are already accusing the Syrians of
orchestrating this and saying that the Iranians may well be behind this as
well."
In Tel Aviv, a truck driven by an Arab Israeli slammed into vehicles and
pedestrians, killing one man and injuring 17 people.
Police have not yet established whether the incident was an accident or an
attack.
Witnesses said the driver, who was arrested, ran amok with his truck in the
traffic.



Troops clashed with protesters in Issawiyeh


British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "deeply concerned" by the
violence and "saddened by the loss of life".
He added: "I call on all parties to exercise restraint and ensure that
civilian life is protected.
"These developments make clearer than ever that a lasting and comprehensive
resolution to the conflicts in the region is urgently needed and will only be
achieved through negotiation.''
In the fighting over Israel's creation, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians
were uprooted, and the dispute over the fate of the refugees and their
descendants, now numbering several million, remains a key issue in the Middle
East conflict.

The Middle East is like a Cauldron with all these different Countries and nationalities and now with Isreal dragged into
this you have to wonder where it will all end. Another example of the United Nations being anything but and having
no Power.