As Ivanka Trump and other American dignitaries take their seats for the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem tomorrow on Monday, Israel's military will be bracing for thousands of Palestinian protesters to try to break through the Gaza border fence. Five months after Donald Trump defied warnings from around the world and announced he was recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, around 800 American and Israeli guests will gather under a marquee to applaud the official opening of the US embassy. Just 50 miles away, Palestinians in Gaza have moved forward the date of their largest mass protests in years to coincide with the ceremony. Both sides expect Palestinians will be killed if they approach the thin barbwire fence that separates Israel from Gaza. The simultaneous events are likely to make an ugly split screen, with television networks showing both celebrations in Jerusalem and bloodshed in Gaza as they unfold a few hours’ drive from each other. US officials said they were conscious of the jarring contrast but blamed Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls Gaza, for the violence that has left 53 Palestinians dead in the last six weeks. “We’re Americans, we support the right to peaceful protest. But the operative word there is ‘peaceful,’” said Victoria Coates, an official with the White House National Security Council. “I think we need to blame that violence not on anything the US has done or Israel has done but firmly on Hamas.” Dozens of Palestinians have been killed since the Gaza protests began in March Credit: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa The majority of the Palestinians killed have been unarmed but Israel has said it is justified in using live ammunition to protect the border fence, a policy that has been criticised by Britain and other countries. Hamas says the protests are peaceful and that its forces are deliberately not bringing weapons. Israel claims Hamas operatives are trying to use the chaos of the demonstrations to infiltrate the fence and carry out attacks. The Israeli military said that on Friday "dozens of violent rioters" destroyed parts of the crossing where food, goods and fuel enter Gaza from Israel. The crossing will be closed until further notice while the damage is repaired, a spokesman said. “The Gaza Strip is like a hungry tiger that has been caged and starved and humiliated for 11 years,” said Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza. “That tiger is now out of the cage and on the loose and no one knows what that tiger is going to do.” Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, mused that "hundreds of thousands" of Palestinians might break through the border fence Credit: AP Photo/Khalil Hamra The opening of the embassy brings an end to an awkward 23 years for US policy on its diplomatic representation in Israel. Congress passed a law in 1995 stating that the embassy be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem but Bill Clinton, George W Bush, and Barack Obama all used their executive powers to block the move, arguing it would damage the prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Mr Trump suggested his predecessors “lacked courage” as he announced in December that he was going ahead with the move. “Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital,” he said. Mr Trump flirted with the idea of coming to Jerusalem for the embassy opening, where he would receive a rapturous welcome from Israelis. He decided ultimately to stay in Washington but will address the ceremony in a video. The president will be represented by his daughter, Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner, who is also Mr Trump’s point man on the flagging US peace effort. Palestinian leaders are refusing to meet with the US in protest at the embassy move. The US deliberately did not invite European ambassadors to the ceremony, partly to avoid embarrassing snubs from American allies who disagree with the embassy move. Dozens of ambassadors declined an invitation to an Israeli foreign ministry reception marking the event. “As an Israeli, I think it’s a wonderful thing. As a resident of the neighbourhood, I don’t think it’s such a great thing,” said Abe Gold, a resident of the Arnona area, who said the embassy announcement had led to a disruptive increase in security patrols. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump will be among the American delegation at the embassy opening Credit: REUTERS/Jim Bourg The Palestinian protests on Monday are the culmination of the “Great March of Return”, a series of weekly demonstrations that began six weeks ago. The demonstrations are marking the 70th anniversary of what Palestinians call the Nakba, “the catastrophe”, when hundreds of thousands of Arabs were displaced from their homes in the 1948 war with Israel. The marchers are demanding the right to return to their forefathers’ homes in land that is today Israel. “We want to return to our back to our lands and we will never give up. Even if during our struggle we lose parts of our body, we will struggle more and more,” said Moayed Helles, a 24-year-old Palestinian who was shot in the leg by an Israeli sniper during a recent protest. The main day of protest was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was brought forward by one day to coincide with the US embassy opening. “Our people are marching to reiterate their rejection of the siege [Israel’s blockade of Gaza] and their rejection of the American decision to relocate the American embassy,” said Mr Sinwar, the Hamas chief. He mused in a press conference that “hundreds of thousands” of people might break through the Gaza fence into Israel. “This barbwire fence is not a sacred cow or taboo that no one should touch,” he said. An Israeli military official said additional troops would be deployed along the Gaza border. “We’re adapting our posture according to the intelligence we have and the statements that Sinwar made to the press. The tactics will be the same but we understand that we have to have additional forces.”
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May 13, 2018 at 02:00PM
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