Green Energy
WSJ:
Israeli Forces Fire on Protesters Near Golan
TEL AVIV—Israel's army opened fire on dozens of Arab demonstrators who marched from the Syrian border toward the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights to mark the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Syria's state-run news agency reported that four demonstrators were killed and over 30 were injured.
Inspired by popular domestic demonstrations around the Arab world, pro-Palestinian protestors in Syria and Lebanon are now challenging Israeli forces posted on the border. The violence marks the second flare-up in 15 days on a frontier that has remained relatively quiet for more than three decades despite frequent political tension.
According to the Israel army, protesters gathered in the morning at a hilltop on the Syrian side of the border within walking distance of the Golan Heights village of Majdal Shams. When the demonstrators began to march toward the border, soldiers tried to ward them off with verbal warnings and by firing into the air, said the spokesperson. Ignoring the calls, dozens of demonstrators then crossed the Syrian border and continued toward the Israeli line through the United Nations-monitored demilitarized zone.
"IDF forces were left with no choice but to open fire," said an army spokeswoman, who accused the Syrian government of permitting a border "provocation" in order to distract attention from the weeks-long revolt against the regime of President Bashar Assad.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called the border demonstrations a threat to Israeli towns and cities, and said that soldiers had orders to act with "resolve" to prevent a repeat of two weeks ago, when dozens of protesters defied Israeli soldiers and reached the Golan Heights for several hours before returning to Syria.
Sunday's demonstrations were inspired by the anniversary of the Six-Day War, when Israeli forces opened a preemptive assault on Egypt, Jordan and Syria, capturing the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula and the West Bank. Two weeks ago, the demonstrators marked the anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations were also planned at the Lebanese border Sunday, but organizers decided to postpone the protests after the Lebanese army declared the border a closed military zone. Two weeks ago several Palestinian demonstrators were killed on the Israel-Lebanon border.
In the West Bank, soldiers fired tear gas to subdue demonstrators who threw stones at the Qalandiya military checkpoint at the northern tip of Jerusalem.
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Green Energy
WSJ:
Israeli Forces Fire on Protesters Near Golan
TEL AVIV—Israel's army opened fire on dozens of Arab demonstrators who marched from the Syrian border toward the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights to mark the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Syria's state-run news agency reported that four demonstrators were killed and over 30 were injured.
Inspired by popular domestic demonstrations around the Arab world, pro-Palestinian protestors in Syria and Lebanon are now challenging Israeli forces posted on the border. The violence marks the second flare-up in 15 days on a frontier that has remained relatively quiet for more than three decades despite frequent political tension.
According to the Israel army, protesters gathered in the morning at a hilltop on the Syrian side of the border within walking distance of the Golan Heights village of Majdal Shams. When the demonstrators began to march toward the border, soldiers tried to ward them off with verbal warnings and by firing into the air, said the spokesperson. Ignoring the calls, dozens of demonstrators then crossed the Syrian border and continued toward the Israeli line through the United Nations-monitored demilitarized zone.
"IDF forces were left with no choice but to open fire," said an army spokeswoman, who accused the Syrian government of permitting a border "provocation" in order to distract attention from the weeks-long revolt against the regime of President Bashar Assad.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called the border demonstrations a threat to Israeli towns and cities, and said that soldiers had orders to act with "resolve" to prevent a repeat of two weeks ago, when dozens of protesters defied Israeli soldiers and reached the Golan Heights for several hours before returning to Syria.
Sunday's demonstrations were inspired by the anniversary of the Six-Day War, when Israeli forces opened a preemptive assault on Egypt, Jordan and Syria, capturing the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula and the West Bank. Two weeks ago, the demonstrators marked the anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations were also planned at the Lebanese border Sunday, but organizers decided to postpone the protests after the Lebanese army declared the border a closed military zone. Two weeks ago several Palestinian demonstrators were killed on the Israel-Lebanon border.
In the West Bank, soldiers fired tear gas to subdue demonstrators who threw stones at the Qalandiya military checkpoint at the northern tip of Jerusalem.
- Report: As Nuclear Deal Closes, Iranian Troops Headed To Israel’s Border
From the London Times: Golan Heights rebels Golan Heights violence Iran nuclear ambitions Iran Nuclear Negotiations Israel Golan Heights Israel Syria Golan Heights Israeli border syria civil war golan heights An IDF patrol. Iranian forces are approaching...
- Israel Fires Into Syria After Golan Attack On Troops
From Reuters: (Reuters) - Israel said it fired into Syria on Sunday and destroyed a machinegun position in the Golan Heights from where shots had been fired at Israeli soldiers in a further spillover of the Syrian civil war along a tense front. It...
-
Ynet News: Syrian opposition: Anti-Israel rioters paid $1,000 Protestors at northern border promised $1,000 reward by Assad's regime, Reform Party of Syria claims; Israeli officials: Damascus encouraged rioters. Syria says IDF killed 23 people, wounded...
- Israel, Naqba, And International Borders
I don’t know about anyone else, but it seems to me that there is a HUGE difference between a demonstration inside the West Bank, inside Gaza, and in Syria or Lebanon, which then have been SIGNALLY allowed to attempt to cross an international border...
- Syria Threatens To Take Back Golan By Force
Haaretz: Syria threatens to take back Golan by force Syrian officials threatened on Saturday to take back the Golan Heights by force if a peace agreement involving the return of the strategic plateau is not reached with Israel, Army Radio reported. A...