Developments in Gaza over the past week have alarmed observers, and as 58 Palestinian demonstrators are being buried today, expectations of continued violence are rising. A blockade of Gaza by the Israelis and Egyptians, coupled with the reckless move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and the 70th anniversary of Israel's creation, prompted clashes between Palestinians throwing rocks and burning tires and Israeli Army troops firing live ammunition and tear gas.
International reaction largely condemned Israel's use of deadly force:
* Kuwait drafted a UN Security Council statement calling for an independent inquiry into the violence but it was blocked by the USU.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterrez called for restraint, saying he was "profoundly alarmed" at the escalation of violence:
* The UK said "the large volume of live fire is extremely concerning"
* Germany said Israel had the right to defend itself but should do so proportionately
* France's President Emmanuel Macron condemned violence by the Israeli military
* Russia said it was watching closely, adding that the Palestinian death toll could not "but provoke the deepest concern"
* Turkey said the US shared responsibility with Israel for a "vile massacre" and recalled its ambassadors from both countries
* South Africa also recalled its Israeli ambassador
"Israel security forces must exercise maximum restraint in the use of live fire," the statement said. "Hamas and the leaders of the demonstrations have a responsibility to prevent all violent actions and provocations."Yesterday's jarring split-screen images of nepotistic grifters Jared and Ivanka Trump at the dedication ceremony of the embassy side by side with the violence in Gaza was symbolic of the distance between the two sides, which has now grown immeasurably wider given the untimely and ill-advised relocation of the embassy. It was a short term domestic political win for right-wing Israeli Prime Minister and Trump ally Bibi "Bomb Bomb" Netanyahu, who basked in the illusory glory of bending demagogue Donald "Rump" Trump to his will, as violent turmoil continues to swell on his borders threatening the long-term security of Israel.
BONUS: The violence that has erupted is music to the ears of bible-banging right-wing "evangelicals," who see this as "progress" toward their "end of times" lunacy. Sick.
