Misplaced Pages

2011 Nakba Day: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 19:51, 18 May 2011 editSupreme Deliciousness (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers22,584 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit Latest revision as of 01:37, 19 October 2024 edit undoGreenC bot (talk | contribs)Bots2,551,516 edits Move 1 url. Wayback Medic 2.5 per WP:URLREQ#articles.cnn.com 
(235 intermediate revisions by 71 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Annual commemoration event tragedy}}
{{pp-semi-vandalism|expiry=May 31, 2011|small=yes}}
'''Nakba Day''' in '''2011''' was the ] for the ] marking the ] - the ] that accompanied the ] of ] in 1948. Generally held on May 15th, protests also took place on Israel's ], which occurred several days earlier this year since it follows the ]. ] in 2011 was the ] for the ] marking the ]—the ] that accompanied the ] of ] in 1948. Generally held on May 15, commemorative events in 2011 began on May 10, in the form of march by Palestinian ] on Israel's ]. On May 13, clashes between stone-throwing youths and Israeli security forces in ] resulted in one Palestinian fatality, and clashes continued there and in parts of the ] in the days following.


In the days leading up to Nakba Day, Palestinians and Israeli-Arabs began rioting and protesting, activities which continued into the next few days. Israeli security forces responded with force. On May 15 2011, thousands of ]s and ]s from ], ], the ], and the ] attempted to breach their respective borders with Israel, and were met with lethal force and riot-control tactics by Israeli and Lebanese forces.<ref name=Daragmeh/><ref name="BBC"/><ref name=HS>{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/dead-as-israelis-open-fire-on-protesters/story-e6frf7lf-1226056390986|title=At least 12 people killed as Israelis open fire on border protesters|author=Jack Guez|publisher=Herald Sun|date=May 16, 2011}}</ref> Attempts by march organizers in ] and ] to reach their borders with Israel were thwarted by security forces in those countries. Fifteen Palestinians were killed along with one Israeli, and hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis were injured. In an unprecedented development on May 15, thousands of people, mostly ] from ], the West Bank, ] and ], marched towards the ceasefire borders with Israel.<ref name=GideonBiger170511>{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-was-infiltrated-but-no-real-borders-were-crossed-1.362215|title=Israel was infiltrated, but no real borders were crossed|author=Gideon Biger|date=17 May 2011|publisher=Haaretz|access-date=18 May 2011}}</ref><ref name=Daragmeh/><ref name="BBC"/><ref name=HS>{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/dead-as-israelis-open-fire-on-protesters/story-e6frf7lf-1226056390986|title=At least 12 people killed as Israelis open fire on border protesters|author=Jack Guez|publisher=Herald Sun|date=May 16, 2011}}</ref> Fifteen Palestinians were killed and hundreds wounded, most by live ammunition as the ]s tried to hold them back across the line. Dozens of Israelis were also injured. More than a hundred protestors from Syria managed to breach the fence and enter the ] ], and at least one made it all the way to ].


Attempts by march organizers in Egypt and Jordan to reach their countries' borders with ] and Israel, respectively, were largely thwarted by domestic security forces. At a mass demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy in ], the ] used tear gas and live fire to disperse the crowd, wounding 353. In other events in Tel Aviv, an Israeli man was killed and others wounded by an Arab truck driver who claimed he lost control of his vehicle, but is suspected by Israeli police of having purposefully carried out a "terrorist attack".
Organized by calls put out by Palestinians on ], the border protests were given impetus by the ] taking place in the ].<ref name="BBC"/><ref name=Daragmeh>.</ref> The U.S. and Israeli governments accused the ]ian and the ]n governments of coordinating marches on the Lebanese and Syrian borders as a means of shifting public attention from domestic unrest.<ref name="HAARETZ">. '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref>

Organized by calls put out by Palestinians on Facebook, the border marches were given impetus by the ] taking place in the ].<ref name=Daragmeh>{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldextra.com/news/world/article_10865d67-e7a6-57cf-af4b-dd705e5a19b5.html|title=Palestinians test tactic of unarmed mass marches|author=Karin Laub - The Associated Press|date=17 May 2011|work=Daily Herald|access-date=17 May 2011|archive-date=3 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503000250/https://www.heraldextra.com/news/world/article_10865d67-e7a6-57cf-af4b-dd705e5a19b5.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="BBC"/> The American and Israeli governments said the marches were coordinated by the ]ian and the ]n governments to shift public attention from domestic unrest.<ref name="HAARETZ">{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/1228099.html|title=דובר הבית הלבן: לישראל יש זכות להגן על גבולותיה|work=הארץ|access-date=2011-05-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826115028/http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/1228099.html|archive-date=2011-08-26|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==Background== ==Background==
''Al-Nakba'' is the ] word for "the catastrophe" or "the disaster" and is used by Palestinians to refer to the loss of Palestine, the displacement and dispersal that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948.<ref name=Kamrava>{{cite book|title=The modern Middle East: a political history since the First World War|author=Mehran Kamrava|page=|edition=Illustrated|publisher=University of California Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-520-24150-3|url=https://archive.org/details/modernmiddleeast0000kamr|url-access=registration|quote=nakba loss of palestine.}}</ref><ref name = Farsoun>{{cite book| url = https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof0000fars| url-access = registration| quote = nakba refugees return.|page=|title=Culture and customs of the Palestinians|author=Samih K. Farsoun|edition=Illustrated|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2004|isbn=978-0-313-32051-4}}</ref><ref name=Gregory>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yo6VyhJKKb8C&q=nakba+past+present&pg=PA86|page=86|title=The colonial present: Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq|author=Derek Gregory|edition=Illustrated, reprint|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2004|isbn=978-1-57718-090-6}}</ref> More than 700,000 Palestinians were ] over the course of the ] and they and their descendants number several million today, divided between Jordan (2 million), Lebanon (427,057), Syria (477,700), the West Bank (788,108) and the Gaza Strip (1.1 million), with another quarter of a million internally displaced Palestinians in Israel.<ref name=Telegraph19/><ref name=reuters>Figures given here for the number of Palestinian refugees includes only those registered with ] as June 2010. ] were not registered, among others. </ref>
===Israeli security preparations===
In anticipation of Nakba Day events, the Israeli military sealed off the ] for 24 hours and deployed IDF regiments and Border Police gendarmes. Inside Israel, police prepared for Arab protests and possible violence, and security forces were deployed in the predominantly Arab ] region. A heavy police presence was reported in many of Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods, and included both regular police officers and Border Police gendarmes.<ref name="Maan1"/> Israeli authorities closed off the ] in East Jerusalem to prevent large rallies. In response, shop owners in the ] and ]s closed down their shops in observance of a strike to commemorate Nakba Day.


Nakba Day is commemorated annually, generally on May 15. Commemorations among Palestinian ] are often held on ] which falls on the ] date of ] (in 2011, May 10). On that day, several thousand ] and their supporters held their 14th annual "March of Return" between ] and ], two ] during the ].<ref name=AIC>{{cite web |url=http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/israeli-society/3587-thousands-mark-palestinian-nakba-in-galilee- |title=Thousands Mark Palestinian Nakba in Galilee |publisher=Alternativenews.org |date=2011-05-12 |access-date=2013-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005013923/http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/israeli-society/3587-thousands-mark-palestinian-nakba-in-galilee- |archive-date=2013-10-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At least 1,000 Arabs and Jews held the first public commemoration of the Nakba in ] on May 14 to protest the "Nakba Law" passed by the Israeli ] in March. Organized by members of youth movements in Jaffa and ], Arab Members of ] did not attend the protest, where demonstrators chanted pro-Palestinian, ], and anti-Israel slogans, and blocked traffic along Jaffa's main street.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068464,00.html |title=Hundreds mark 'Nakba Day' in Jaffa - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2011-05-18 |last1=Shaalan |first1=Hassan }}</ref><ref name="Hartman">Hartman, Ben. {{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=220514|title=Hundreds hold first-ever Nakba Day march in Jaffa|publisher=jpost.com|date=2011-05-15}}</ref>
Israeli forces were provided with riot and crowd-control gear, and were ordered to use live fire only under extreme circumstances. Israel's political leadership instructed the IDF not to take risks and assume major precautions. It was thought that protests might include gunmen in their midst, and soldiers were ordered to immediately put an end to any escalation in its early stages with massive force. Soldiers were ordered not to intervene in peaceful demonstrations that did not target soldiers, settlers, or infrastructure. Orders also called on soldiers to show restraint and avoid casualties. The IDF said that it wanted "zero funerals" during the demonstrations. Senior field officers were deployed in every sector of operations to monitor the situation and assist in the decision-making process. Israeli commanders also monitored internet chatter and social media websites to get a clear sense of the Palestinian street's mood. IDF Brigades were also trained to deal with clashes between Palestinians and settlers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4067434,00.html |title=IDF gears for 'Nakba Day' - Israel News, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4067158,00.html |title=IDF chief warns of violence on 'Nakba Day' - Israel News, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4067922,00.html |title=The goal: Zero funerals - Israel Opinion, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref>


In anticipation of Nakba Day events, the Israeli military sealed off the ] for 24 hours and deployed ] regiments and Border Police gendarmes. Inside Israel, police prepared for Arab protests and possible violence, and security forces were deployed in the predominantly Arab ] region. A heavy police presence was reported in many of ]'s Arab neighborhoods, and included both regular police officers and Border Police gendarmes.<ref name="Maan1"/>
==Border and ceasefire line protests and infiltrations==
Inspired by the uprisings and revolutions taking place in the Arab world, Palestinians used ] to call for mass protests throughout the region on May 15th, 2011 Nakba Day.<ref name=Daragmeh/><ref name=ATimes></ref><ref name=Bikya></ref><ref name=YNETr>http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4069686,00.html Syrian infiltrator recounts journey to TA]</ref> A page calling for a "Third Palestinian Intifada" to begin on May 15th garnered 300,000 members before being taken down by Facebook managers in March for encouraging violence.<ref name=Philips></ref>


Israeli forces were provided with riot and crowd-control gear, and were ordered to use live fire only under extreme circumstances. Israel's political leadership instructed the IDF not to take risks and assume major precautions. Soldiers were ordered not to intervene in peaceful demonstrations that did not target soldiers, settlers, or infrastructure. The IDF said that it wanted "zero funerals" during the demonstrations. Senior field officers were deployed in every sector of operations to monitor the situation and assist in the decision-making process. Israeli commanders also monitored internet chatter and social media websites to get a clear sense of the Palestinian street's mood. IDF Brigades were also trained to deal with clashes between Palestinians and settlers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4067434,00.html |title=IDF gears for 'Nakba Day' - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2011-05-18 |last1=Greenberg |first1=Hanan }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4067158,00.html |title=IDF chief warns of violence on 'Nakba Day' - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2011-05-18 |last1=Greenberg |first1=Hanan }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4067922,00.html |title=The goal: Zero funerals - Israel Opinion, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2011-05-18 |last1=Fishman |first1=Alex }}</ref>
===Syria===
In Syria, Palestinian supporters managed to breach the Israeli-Syrian ] and enter the Israeli-occupied portion of the ].<ref name="Economist" /> The Israeli military stated that it fired warning shots when several protesters attempted to breach a border fence and enter the Arab ] town of ].<ref name="BBC"/> Demonstrators threw rocks at Israeli troops and local civilians, wounding ten soldiers and three locals. Among the wounded was the Israeli commander, Colonel Eshkol Shukrun, who was hit in the face. Israeli troops responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition. Four protesters were killed and dozens injured.<ref name="AJE"/> Two others were arrested and detained, but were returned to Syria. The protesters eventually headed back to Syria after negotiations, and police combed the area for any additional infiltrators. However, one infiltrator, 28-year-old Palestinian clerk Hassan Hijazi, managed to escape and hitch a ride to central Israel with Israeli and French Arab peace activists, and reached ] by bus, even sitting alongside Israeli soldiers. In Tel Aviv, he turned himself into police.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4069686,00.html |title=Syrian infiltrator recounts journey to TA - Israel News, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref>


==Border demonstrations==
===Lebanon===
{{See also|2011 Israeli border demonstrations}}
In ], activists had organized an event on a mountaintop in the village of ] that overlooks the border with Israel. Palestinian refugees from various ]s across Lebanon attended.<ref name=AJP/> After walking up the mountain to the protest site, many decided to descend the opposite side, and continued on towards the border.<ref name=AJP/> ] soldiers fired into the air in a failed effort to deter them.<ref name="Economist">{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/05/israel|title=Israel: Unrest on the borders|publisher=The Economist|date=15 May 2011|accessdate=16 May 2011}}</ref> Crossing through a minefield that was laid by Israel during the ], they reached the border fence, and threw stones over it, chanting for their right of return.<ref name=AJP>{{cite web|title=In Pictures: Nakba day violence on the Israel-Lebanon border|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/photo_galleries/middleeast/2011516141741145621.html|publisher=Al Jazeera English}}</ref> Approximately 10 protesters were killed and 100 injured by gunfire before the protesters retreated. Some sources reported that the protesters were shot by the IDF,<ref name=AJP/><ref name="Economist"/> but according to the IDF, the protesters were most likely shot by the ] (LAF). The IDF declined to release a video of the incident, on the grounds that it might cause embarrassment to the Lebanese Army.<ref name=JPideo></ref>
Inspired by the uprisings and revolutions taking place in the Arab world, Palestinians used ] to call for mass protests throughout the region on May 15, 2011, Nakba Day.<ref name=Daragmeh/><ref name=ATimes>{{cite web|author=|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ME18Ak03.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520150314/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ME18Ak03.html |url-status=unfit |archive-date=2011-05-20 |title=Persistence will pay off for Palestinians |publisher=Atimes.com |date=2011-05-18 |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref><ref name=Bikya>{{cite web|url=http://bikyamasr.com/wordpress/?p=33601 |title=Army fires on Cairo's Nakba rally |publisher=Bikyamasr.com |access-date=2013-10-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721165108/http://bikyamasr.com/wordpress/?p=33601 |archive-date=2011-07-21 }}</ref><ref name=YNETr>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4069686,00.html |title=Syrian infiltrator recounts journey to TA |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref> A page calling for a "Third Palestinian Intifada" to begin on May 15 garnered more than 350,000 "likes" before being taken down by Facebook managers at the end of March after complaints from the Israeli government as well as a counter group which repeatedly requested Facebook to block the page on the grounds that it incited violence.<ref name=Philips>{{cite web |url=http://www.thirdage.com/news/israeli-troops-clash-with-palestinian-protesters_05-15-2011?page=2 |title=Israeli Troops Clash with Palestinian Protesters |publisher=Thirdage.com |date=2011-05-15 |access-date=2013-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611040127/http://www.thirdage.com/news/israeli-troops-clash-with-palestinian-protesters_05-15-2011?page=2 |archive-date=2011-06-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=CNN3>{{cite news|author=Kevin Flower |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/03/29/palestinian.facebook/index.html?_s=PM:WORLD |title=Facebook page supporting Palestinian intifada pulled down |publisher=Articles.cnn.com |date=2011-03-29 |access-date=2013-10-02 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624035859/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-29/world/palestinian.facebook_1_facebook-page-social-media-website-incites-violence?_s=PM%3AWORLD |archive-date=2011-06-24 }}</ref> The page called for mass marches to Palestine from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to commemorate the Nakba and demand the ] for all Palestinian refugees.<ref name=AhramO>{{cite web|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/11737/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptians-call-for-a-march-to-Palestine-on-Nakba-d.aspx |title=Egyptians to mark Nakba with a march to Palestine |publisher=English.ahram.org.eg |date=2011-05-09 |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref>


===Palestinian territories=== ===Egypt===
]]]
At the ] checkpoint in the West Bank near ], a standoff between Israeli soldiers and around 100 Palestinian protesters ensued with Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli troops. In several incidents, Palestinian rioters took cover behind ambulances while throwing rocks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144186 |title=Camera Doesn’t Lie: Attackers Hide Behind Ambulances - Defense/Middle East - Israel News |publisher=Israel National News |date= |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref> Israeli troops responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, injuring dozens of demonstrators.<ref name="AJE"/>
]ian burning an Israeli flag during a Nakba Day protest at the Israeli embassy in Cairo, 2011 May 15]]
Organizers in Egypt had been preparing for weeks to implement the plans for a mass march to the border.<ref name=Bikya/><ref name=Philips/> In addition to demanding the ] for Palestinian refugees, several demands specific to Egypt were added by Cairo organizers, including the opening of the Rafah border on a permanent basis, the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Egyptian jails, and an end to the export of Egyptian gas to Israel and all other "humiliating agreements with the Zionist state".<ref name=AhramO/>


On the Friday (May 13) before Nakba Day, thousands demonstrated in ]'s ] in solidarity with Palestinians (and ]). On Saturday, thousands were planning to make their way toward the ] with the ] in convoys set to depart from Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, Damietta, North Sinai. Gharbiya, Beni Suef, Assiut, Qena and Sohag.<ref name=Bikya/><ref name=AhramO/> However, an order from the Supreme Council of Armed Forces to tourism companies not to send buses to the convoy organizers left them without sufficient transportation and the few buses they did manage to procure were stopped by the army.<ref name=Bikya/> The blockage of access by Egyptian forces to the ], meant that only about 80 activists managed to reach the border with Rafah.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312025046/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=387910 |date=2014-03-12 }}. '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref>
Roughly 1,000 Palestinians marched towards the ] in the Gaza Strip, chanting and throwing rocks at Israeli troops. Israeli forces intermittently fired at protesters with machine guns and small arms, and also fired two tank shells that landed near the demonstration. According to Gazan medical officials, one demonstrator was killed and around 80 were injured.<ref name="AJE"/><ref name="BBC"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1639368.php/Israel-Syria-Lebanon-borders-calm-after-Palestinian-Nakba-protest |title=Israel-Syria-Lebanon borders calm after Palestinian Nakba protest |publisher=Monsters and Critics |date=1948-05-14 |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref> ], which governs the territory, reportedly asked protesters to withdraw from the border.<ref name="AJE">. '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref> Israeli troops also shot and wounded a Palestinian man placing explosives on the Israel-Gaza Strip border fence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068838,00.html |title=Gaza: Dozens hurt by IDF fire - Israel News, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref>

At the Israeli Embassy in Cairo on May 15, thousands gathered for a demonstration. Individuals tried to break into the building, but were dispersed by Egyptian security forces using tear gas and live fire.<ref name=Bikya/> Some 353 protesters were injured and 180 arrested.<ref>. '']''. 2011-05-17.</ref> At least two of the wounded had been shot in head and chest by Egyptian forces, and at least two of those arrested were well known for their tweets during the ].<ref name=Bikya/>


===Israel=== ===Israel===
On May 15, about 25 Arab students gathered near ] alongside the border with Lebanon to commemorate Nakba Day. Israeli police ordered them to leave the area. A female attorney among the protesters asked why and was slapped by an Israeli police commander. The protestors claimed they could not leave immediately because they were waiting for their bus to arrive, and that they were attacked by Israeli forces who fired tear gas. Israeli authorities said the group had no permit to protest and that the area had been declared a closed military zone because of the escalating border disturbances. A police statement said when they refused to leave, reasonable force was used to remove them, and eight people were arrested.<ref name=Watch></ref> On 15 May, about 25 Arab-Israeli students gathered near ] alongside the border with Lebanon to commemorate Nakba Day. Israeli police ordered them to leave the area. A female attorney among the protesters asked why and was slapped by an Israeli police commander. The protesters said they could not leave immediately because they were waiting for their bus to arrive, and that they were attacked by security forces who fired tear gas. Israeli authorities said the group had no permit to protest and that the area had been declared a closed military zone because of the escalating border disturbances. A police statement said when they refused to leave, reasonable force was used to remove them, and eight people were arrested.<ref name=Watch>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4069475,00.html |title=Watch: Police commander slaps Arab protester |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2013-10-02 |last1=Magnezi |first1=Aviel }}</ref>

===Egypt===
]
Organizers in Egypt had been preparing for weeks to implement the calls made on Facebook.<ref name=Philips/><ref name=Bikya/> On the Friday (May 13) before Nakba Day, thousands demonstrated in ]'s ] in solidarity with Palestinians (and ]). On Saturday, thousands were planning to make their way toward the ] with ]; however, an order from the Supreme Council of Armed Forces to tourism companies not to send buses to the convoy organizers left them without sufficient transportation and the few buses they did manage to procure were stopped by the army.<ref name=Bikya/> The blockage of access by Egyptian forces to the ], meant that only about 80 activists managed to reach the border with Rafah.<ref>. '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref>

At the Israeli Embassy in Cairo on May 15th, thousands gathered for a demonstration. Individuals tried to break into the building, but were dispersed by Egyptian security forces using tear gas and live fire.<ref name=Bikya/> Some 353 protesters were injured and 180 arrested.<ref>. '']. 2011-05-17.</ref> At least two of the wounded had been shot in head and chest by Egyptian forces, and at least two of those arrested were well known for their ]s during the ].<ref name=Bikya/>


===Jordan=== ===Jordan===
In ], 200 Palestinian students attempted to march towards the Israeli border, but were restrained by Jordanian security forces resulting in the injury of six people.<ref>Muir, Jim. . '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref> They were part of a larger group of 500 who were stopped at the ]. Jordanian authorities said a total of 25 people were injured, including 11 police officers. The political arm of the ] in Jordan, the ], condemned police actions which they described as "shocking" stating: "We condemn the attack, which is part of government policies to impose its will on the people, and we demand an end to such policies that have harmed Jordan's image."<ref>. '']''. 2011-05-16.</ref> In Jordan, 200 Palestinian students attempted to march towards the Israeli border, but were stopped by Jordanian security forces. Six people were injured.<ref>Muir, Jim. . '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref> They were part of a larger group of 500 who were stopped at the ]. Jordanian authorities said a total of 25 people were injured, including 11 police officers. The political arm of the ] in Jordan, the ], condemned police actions which they described as "shocking" stating: "We condemn the attack, which is part of government policies to impose its will on the people, and we demand an end to such policies that have harmed Jordan's image."<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514074625/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=388312 |date=2013-05-14 }}. '']''. 2011-05-16.</ref>

===Lebanon===
In Lebanon, activists had organized an event on a mountaintop in the village of ] that overlooks the border with Israel. Some 30,000 people, including Palestinian refugees from various ]s across Lebanon attended.<ref name=AJP/><ref name=DS>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/May-17/Palestinian-refugee-camps-bury-Nakba-martyrs.ashx#axzz1Mp1xlw2c |title=Palestinian refugee camps bury Nakba martyrs |publisher=Dailystar.com.lb |date=2011-05-17 |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref> After walking up the mountain to the protest site, many decided to descend the opposite side, and continued on towards the border.<ref name=AJP/> ] soldiers fired into the air in a failed effort to deter them.<ref name="Economist">{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/05/israel|title=Israel: Unrest on the borders|publisher=The Economist|date=15 May 2011|access-date=16 May 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110519061435/https://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/05/israel| archive-date= 19 May 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> Crossing through a minefield that was laid by Israel during the ], they reached the border fence, and threw stones over it, chanting for their right of return.<ref name=AJP>{{cite web|title=In Pictures: Nakba day violence on the Israel-Lebanon border|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/photo_galleries/middleeast/2011516141741145621.html|publisher=Al Jazeera English}}</ref> Eleven Palestinian refugees were killed and 100 injured by gunfire before the protesters retreated.<ref name=AJP/><ref name=DS/> Media reported that the protesters were shot by the IDF.<ref name=AJP/><ref name="Economist"/> The IDF said most of those killed were likely shot by the ] (LAF) and that they had a video that established this, but would not release it on the grounds that it might cause embarrassment to the Lebanese Army.<ref name=JPideo>{{cite web|last=Katz |first=Yaakov |url=http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=220904 |title=IDF withholds video of Lebanese firing on protesters |publisher=Jpost.com |date=2011-05-17 |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref>


==Other Nakba Day events==
===Palestinian territories=== ===Palestinian territories===
]]]
Islamist and nationalist factions in the West Bank called for a two-hour general strike to mourn demonstrators killed.<ref>. '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref> In ] a gathering organized by the ] to commemorate Nakba Day on May 15 was attended by thousands of people.<ref name="Economist"/> The rally was staged near the tomb of late Palestinian president ]. The PLO's head of refugees' affairs made a speech there vowing the refugees' right of return would not be abandoned by the Palestinian leadership. There was also a separate demonstration in the center of Ramallah. At the entrance of nearby ], Palestinian students burned tires and pelted Israeli soldiers manning the ] checkpoint with stones. Israeli troops responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas canisters, injuring 30 protesters according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.<ref name="Maan1">. '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref>


On 13 May, protests took place throughout the West Bank, primarily at the weekly Friday protests against the ]. Near ], dozens of Palestinians, Israeli leftists, and foreign activists clashed with IDF forces who said they were dispersed for throwing stones. Protestors reported 10 injuries. Similar protests took place in ] and ], south of ], where six were arrested and the area sealed off by the IDF. A protest was also held near ].<ref name=Efraim>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/category/13341|title=ynetnews - sorry page|website=ynetnews}}</ref>
About 100 residents of ] protested in the center of the city in a rally organized by ]. Israeli forces dispersed the demonstrators, injuring 10. A further 18 suffered from tear gas inhalation. While the demonstration was taking place, ] from ] threw four molotov cocktails at a Hebron home while 30 family members and European observes were inside. In nearby ] refugee camp, Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian protesters, where six suffered from tear gas inhalation.<ref>. ''].'' 2011-05-15.</ref>


Palestinian demonstrators marched on the ] checkpoint on May 15. Organizers had previously convened seminars on strategies for non-violent resistance to prepare for a march on the ] checkpoint on May 15. Several of them were arrested by ] police in the month before the protest date. Representatives from Bi'lin, Nil'in and Nabi Salih, villages known for their grassroots weekly protests against the separation barrier, attended the protest which began at around 10:30am on May 15. More than 1,000 protestors marched through the Qalandia refugee camp until they reached within 100 meters of the checkpoint, where Israeli forces used tear gas to disperse them.<ref name=JQ>{{cite web|author=Kieron Monks |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/05/201151611522564602.html |title=Green shoots emerge at Qalandia checkpoint |publisher=English.aljazeera.net |date= |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref><ref name=Donnison>{{cite news|last=Donnison |first=Jon |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13417788 |title=Palestinians emboldened by Arab Spring |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=2011-05-16 |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref> A standoff ensued that lasted more than seven hours between Israeli soldiers and around 100 Palestinian protesters who threw stones as Israeli troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets.<ref name=JQ/><ref name=Donnison/> Israeli undercover officers in plain clothes carrying pistols ran into the crowd from time to time and made arrests.<ref name=Donnison/> In several incidents, Palestinians took cover behind ambulances while throwing rocks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144186 |title=Camera Doesn't Lie: Attackers Hide Behind Ambulances|publisher=Israel National News |date= |access-date=2011-05-18}}</ref> More than 80 Palestinians, including three paramedics, were injured, and 20 were hospitalized. Dr. Sami Dar Nakhla said the IDF was using a new form of toxic tear gas that caused seizures and unconsciousness, and remarked that the last time he saw so many casualties in one day was during the ].<ref name=JQ/>
Palestinians also demonstrated near the ] bloc of ]. ] security forces arrested some demonstrators, while allowing other protests to go unhindered.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hasson |first=Nir |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinian-protesters-clash-with-israeli-forces-on-nakba-day-1.361793 |title=Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli forces on Nakba Day - Haaretz Daily Newspaper &#124; Israel News |publisher=Haaretz.com |date=2011-05-14 |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref>


Between 500 and 600 Palestinians marched towards the ] on the border between Israel and the ].<ref name=AJE/> IDF forces fired on the group intermittently over the course of several hours with tanks, machine guns, gas canisters, and sound bombs, killing one demonstrator and wounding more than 80.<ref name="BBC"/><ref name=AJE/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1639368.php/Israel-Syria-Lebanon-borders-calm-after-Palestinian-Nakba-protest |title=Israel-Syria-Lebanon borders calm after Palestinian Nakba protest |publisher=Monsters and Critics |date=1948-05-14 |access-date=2011-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519234719/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1639368.php/Israel-Syria-Lebanon-borders-calm-after-Palestinian-Nakba-protest |archive-date=2011-05-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=AI/> The IDF said that it fired at the legs of protestors approaching the fence.<ref name=YNETT/> The wounded included 31 children and 3 journalists who attended the march.<ref name=AI>{{cite web|author=dhyams |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/025/2011/en/ |title=Israeli military's killing of Nakba protesters must be investigated |publisher=Amnesty.org |date=2011-05-13 |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref> A group of youth under the age of 18 who approached the fence were fired upon by a tank, wounding 15.<ref name=YNETT/> A group of Palestinian women also came to the site to throw stones.<ref name=YNETT/> ], which governs the territory, reportedly asked protesters to withdraw from the border.<ref name="AJE">. '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref> In a separate incident, Israeli troops killed 17-year-old Khamis Salah Mesleh Habeeb in the "buffer zone" at the Israel-Gaza Strip border near the ] crossing.<ref name=AI/> The IDF said that troops opened fire on a Palestinian man they suspected of placing explosives on the Israel-Gaza Strip border fence near Nahal Oz.<ref name=YNETT>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068838,00.html |title=Gaza: Dozens hurt by IDF fire - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2011-05-18 |last1=Greenberg |first1=Hanan }}</ref>
Near Nabi Saleh, dozens of Palestinians, Israeli leftists, and foreign activists demonstrated and threw stones at Israeli forces, who dispersed the demonstrators, reportedly injuring 25. According to leftists, some of the injured were hit with riot batons, a claim which was denied by Israeli officials. Some 40 Palestinians gathered near ] and threw stones and molotov cocktails at a nearby road. Another 50 Palestinians gathered near Um Salmuna, south of ], and threw stones at Israeli forces, who arrested six protesters and sealed the area.<ref>http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068181,00</ref> Palestinians, Israeli leftists, and foreigners also gathered and threw stones at security forces near Naalian, and a protest was held near ].


===Israel=== ===Syria===
In Syria, the demonstrations were organized by phone and Internet by Palestinian refugees, most of them university students independent of any political faction, in response to the call for a "Third Palestinian Intifada" on Facebook.<ref name=Golan>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hORDwISozjMd3J4mnoJRPRbpY9vA?docId=CNG.24720c3e4e4b36a7a28281c90f818eda.281 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131025725/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hORDwISozjMd3J4mnoJRPRbpY9vA?docId=CNG.24720c3e4e4b36a7a28281c90f818eda.281 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 31, 2014 |title=Shot Palestinian youth proud of Golan protest |date=2011-05-18 |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref><ref name=Nabulsi/> Demonstrators gathered near the Israeli-Syrian ] waving Palestinian flags. The first wave of demonstrators was stopped by Syrian police, who were later overtaken when a second group arrived.<ref name=MEO/> About 1,000 demonstrators approached the fence, and some 300 children among them, rushed toward the fence.<ref name="BBC"/><ref name=YNETG/> Some managed to breach the border and enter the Israeli side of the ceasefire line. The sole Israeli military patrol present was overwhelmed and opened fire on the demonstrators, who threw stones at Israeli troops.<ref name=MEO>{{cite web |url=http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46168 |title='They crossed minefields,' Golan residents marvel |publisher=Middle-east-online.com |date=2011-05-17 |access-date=2013-10-02 |archive-date=2011-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808050113/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46168 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Four demonstrators were killed and dozens injured.<ref name="AJE"/> The dead were Palestinian refugees: Qais Abu Alheija from Houd, Bashar Ali Shahabi from ], Samer Khartabeel from ], and Abadah Zaghmout from ].<ref name=Nabulsi>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/19/nakba-day-palestinian-summer |title=Nakba day: we waited 63 years for this |publisher=Guardian |date= 2011-05-19|access-date=2013-10-02 |location=London |first=Karma |last=Nabulsi}}</ref> Two demonstrators were arrested and detained, but were returned to Syria.<ref name=YNETr/> About a dozen Israeli soldiers injured by stone-throwing during the clashes, and suffered mild-to-moderate injuries. Among the injured was the Israeli commander, Colonel Eshkol Shukrun, who was hit in the face.<ref name=YNETG/>
On May 10, several thousand ] and their supporters held their 14th annual "March of Return" between ] and ], two ] during the ].<ref name=AIC></ref> Hundreds of Arabs and Jews held the first public commemoration of the Nakba in ] to protest the "Nakba Law" passed by the Israeli ] in March. Demonstrators chanted pro-Palestinian, ], and anti-Israel slogans, and blocked traffic along Jaffa's main street. Shortly after the demonstration, a group of participants arrived at the Tel Aviv promenade by bus while still waving Palestinian flags, and were spat upon and cursed by passerby. The protesters responded with slurs before returning to the bus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068464,00.html |title=Hundreds mark 'Nakba Day' in Jaffa - Israel News, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref><ref name="Hartman">Hartman, Ben. . ''JPost''. 2011-05-15.</ref>


More than a hundred demonstrators managed to bypass the fence and enter the Arab ] town of ].<ref name=YNETG>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4069033,00.html|title=IDF says handled border breach well|work=ynet|date=15 May 2011 |last1=Greenberg |first1=Hanan }}</ref><ref name=HaaretzP>{{cite web|last=Arens |first=Moshe |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/idf-unprepared-for-syria-border-breach-despite-intelligence-tips-1.362173 |title=IDF unprepared for Syria border breach, despite intelligence tips |publisher=Haaretz.com |date=2011-05-17 |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref> Arab residents of the ], many of whom still hold Syrian citizenship, had gathered near the fence when they heard shots, and welcomed those who entered Majdal Shams, offering them food and drink.<ref name=MEO/> The demonstrators eventually headed back to Syria after negotiations, and police combed the area for any additional infiltrators. At least one demonstrator, Hassan Hijazi, a 28-year-old Palestinian refugee, managed to hitch a ride to central Israel with Israeli and French Arab peace activists, and reached ] by bus, even sitting alongside Israeli soldiers.<ref name=YNETr/> After finding his old family home in ], he turned himself in at a police station, saying he had fulfilled a lifelong ambition.<ref name=Telegraph19>{{cite news|last=Blomfield |first=Adrian |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8524356/Israel-braced-for-further-Palestinian-protests.html |title=Israel braced for further Palestinian protests |publisher=Telegraph.co.uk |date= 2011-05-19|access-date=2013-10-02 |location=London}}</ref>
In Palestinian areas of ], Nakba Day commemorations began on May 13. Palestinian demonstrators threw stones and ]s and used slingshots during clashes with Israeli security forces. One Palestinian was killed and about 30 injured, and four Israeli police officers and gendarmes were injured. Israeli security forces arrested 70 Palestinians.<ref name="AJE"/> On May 14, a funeral procession for the Palestinian killed the previous day passed through ], where some participants threw stones at Jewish homes. Police dispersed the stone-throwers and arrested six suspects.<ref name="Hartman"/>


==Other Nakba Day events==
In the Israeli-Arab city of ], residents threw stones at police and at vehicles flying Israeli flags, damaging several vehicles.


===Israel and the Palestinian territories===
On May 15, an Israeli man was killed and 17 people were injured when an Israeli-Arab truck driver from ] rammed several vehicles along a {{km to mi|2}} highway section in ]. Police arrested the driver and formed a special task force to determine if it was an accident or if there was a political motive connected to Nakba Day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068672,00.html |title=Suspected terror attack in TA; 1 dead - Israel News, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2011-05-18}}</ref> In the predominantly Palestinian neighborhood of ] in Jerusalem, a ] was thrown at a Jewish building, and another molotov cocktail was thrown at ], on ], injuring one policeman. An Israeli civilian was also injured after Palestinians threw stones at his car.<ref></ref>
On 13 May, Palestinian residents in ] clashed with Israeli security forces, throwing stones and ]s. One demonstrator, Milad Sayyid Ayyash, was shot in the ] neighborhood either by Israeli security forces or a private security guard, and died in hospital the following day. About 30 demonstrators and four police officers and gendarmes were injured during the clashes, and 70 Palestinians were arrested.<ref name="AJE"/>


On 14 May, a funeral procession for Milad Sayyid Ayyash passed through Silwan, where some participants threw stones at Jewish homes. Palestinians also threw stones at police and vehicles sporting Israeli flags for independence day throughout east Jerusalem. Five police officers were injured by stone-throwing, and one was hospitalized. Security forces arrested 13 Palestinians. In the Arab-Israeli city of ], residents also threw stones at police.<ref name="Hartman"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068533,00.html |title='Nakba Day' rioters throw stones at police - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2013-10-02 |last1=Efraim |first1=Omri }}</ref> At least 1,000 Arabs and Jews from across Israel attended a procession in ], marching down Jaffa's main street to a park in the ] neighborhood, where a rally and concert by Arab-Israeli hip-hop group ] was held. The demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and signs, and loudly chanted pro-Palestinian, Arab nationalist, and anti-Israel slogans. There was a very small police presence, and no counter-protests. Police blocked traffic from reaching the demonstration. However, a minor incident took place prior to the demonstration when a group of protesters arrived at the promenade in ] and left their bus while waving Palestinian flags, prompting passerby to spit on and curse them. The protesters responded with slurs and returned to the bus.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068464,00.html |title=Hundreds mark 'Nakba Day' in Jaffa - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2013-10-02 |last1=Shaalan |first1=Hassan }}</ref>
==Reactions==
*{{flag|Israel}} - Israel stated the demonstrators committed a "serious" incursion, arguing that "Syria is a ]. Demonstrators do not randomly approach the border without the prior approval of the central government", and that the demonstrations were an "Iranian provocation, on both the Syrian and the Lebanese frontiers, to try to exploit the Nakba day commemorations."<ref name="BBC">. '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref> Israel filed a complaint against Syria and Lebanon to the ], citing violations of its borders.<ref>{{cite news | author = ''JTA' | title = Israel files complaint with U.N. over border infiltrations | url = http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/05/16/3087705/israel-files-complaint-with-un-over-border-infiltrations | work = JTA | date = 2011-05-16 | accessdate = 2011-05-18 }}</ref>


]]]
*{{flag|Syria}} - Syria condemned Israel, referring to its actions as "criminal activities". The Syrian Foreign Ministry said that Israel "will have to bear full responsibility" for its actions, calling on the international community to hold Israel responsible, and claiming that the "popular Palestinian struggle" was a result of Israel's "continuous disregard" of international institutions and "plunder" of Palestinian "rights and lands".<ref>http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4069005,00.html</ref> Syria filed a complaint to the ], urging it to "take responsibility and put pressure on Israel to stop its aggressive and provocative policy towards Lebanon".<ref>http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4069408,00.html</ref>
On May 15, hundreds of Palestinians clashed with IDF and police forces at the Qalandiya checkpoint and throughout ], with dozens hurling stones. Four police officers were lightly injured in several incidents. Three molotov cocktails were also thrown at the back gate of ] at ]. Security forces responded with crowd-control measures, and arrested 36 protesters. Several were arrested by undercover officers. Israeli authorities closed off the ] in Jerusalem to prevent large rallies. Shop owners in the ] and ]s closed down their shops in observance of a strike to commemorate Nakba Day. Three Palestinians were arrested in the Old City after they threatened local business owners to participate in the strike.<ref name="Maan1"/><ref name=YNETP>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068783,00.html |title=Palestinian mark 'Nakba Day' |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2013-10-02 |last1=Levy |first1=Elior }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068874,00.html |title=IDF, Palestinians clash near Jerusalem - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2013-10-02 |last1=Levy |first1=Elior }}</ref>


At 12pm, a 63-second siren was sounded throughout the West Bank to commemorate 63 years since the Nakba.<ref name=YNETP/> In ]'s ], a gathering organized by the ] to commemorate Nakba Day was attended by thousands of people who waved Palestinian flags and black flags, burned Israeli flags, and watched concerts.<ref name="Economist"/><ref name=YNETP/> At another rally for thousands staged near the tomb of late Palestinian president ], the PLO's head of refugees' affairs made a speech vowing the refugees' right of return would not be abandoned by the Palestinian leadership. At the entrance of nearby ], Palestinian students burned tires and pelted Israeli soldiers manning the ] checkpoint with stones. Israeli troops responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas canisters, injuring 30 protesters according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.<ref name="Maan1"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030152751/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=387899 |date=2014-10-30 }}. '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref>
*{{flag|United States}} - The United States accused Syria of deliberately provoking Israel to distract attention from the ] on civilian protestors in Syria.<ref>{{cite news | author = ''USA Today'' | title = White House calls Syrian actions 'unacceptable' | url = http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/05/obama-white-house-calls-syrian-actions-unacceptable/1?sms_ss=gmail&at_xt=4dd2ccd9b01e9d4c%2C0 | work = USA Today | date = 2011-05-17 | accessdate = 2011-05-17 }}</ref>


About 100 residents of ] released 200 black balloons to commemorate the Nakba in the center of the city in a rally organized by ]. Israeli forces dispersed the demonstrators. Ten demonstrators were injured, and a further 18 suffered from tear gas inhalation. While the demonstration was taking place, ] from ] threw four molotov cocktails at a Hebron home while 30 family members and European observes were inside. In nearby ] refugee camp, Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian protesters, where six suffered from tear gas inhalation.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514080126/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=387975 |date=2013-05-14 }}. ''].'' 2011-05-15.</ref> Palestinians also demonstrated near the ] bloc of ]. ] security forces arrested some demonstrators, while allowing other protests to go unhindered.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hasson |first=Nir |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinian-protesters-clash-with-israeli-forces-on-nakba-day-1.361793 |title=Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli forces on Nakba Day - Haaretz Daily Newspaper &#124; Israel News |publisher=Haaretz.com |date=2011-05-14 |access-date=2011-05-18}}</ref>
*{{flag|Lebanon}} - Lebanon filed a complaint to the ] over the "killing and wounding of civilians", claiming that Israel's actions constituted a "hostile act" and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and United Nations Resolutions, urging the Security Council to pressure Israel to stop its "hostile and provocative policies against Lebanon" and to "hold it accountable for killing civilians".<ref name=UNprotests></ref><ref></ref>

Following the events of Nakba Day, Palestinian factions in the West Bank called for a two-hour general strike to mourn demonstrators killed.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730145835/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=387980 |date=2013-07-30 }}. '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref>

===Tel Aviv truck attack===
{{main|2011 Tel Aviv truck attack}}
In ], an Israeli man was killed and 17 people were injured when Islam Issa, an Israeli-Arab truck driver from ], rammed several vehicles along a {{convert|2|km|mi|sp=us}} highway section along Bar-Lev Street. Issa was arrested and indicted.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068672,00.html |title=Suspected terror attack in TA; 1 dead - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2011-05-18 |last1=Zitun |first1=Yoaz }}</ref>

Issa was tried in the Tel Aviv District Court on one count of murder, six counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and endangering human lives. On July 19, 2012, he was found guilty, with the judges ruling unanimously.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4257851,00.html |title=TA Nakba day rampage driver convicted - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date= 19 July 2012|access-date=2013-10-02 |last1=Cohen-Freidman |first1=Naama }}</ref> On November 14, 2012, Issa was sentenced to life imprisonment and an additional 40 years. He was also ordered to pay ] 258,000 to the family of the man killed, and an additional NIS 230,000 to the rest of the victims.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4305249,00.html |title='Nakba Day' rampage driver gets life in prison - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2013-10-02 |last1=Cohen-Friedman |first1=Naama }}</ref>

==Reactions==
* Israel stated the demonstrators committed a "serious" incursion, arguing that "Syria is a ]. Demonstrators do not randomly approach the border without the prior approval of the central government", and that the demonstrations were an "Iranian provocation, on both the Syrian and the Lebanese frontiers, to try to exploit the Nakba day commemorations."<ref name="BBC">. '']''. 2011-05-15.</ref> Israel filed a complaint against Syria and Lebanon to the ], citing violations of its borders with alleged backing from the Syrian authorities.<ref>{{cite news | author = JTA | title = Israel files complaint with U.N. over border infiltrations | url = http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/05/16/3087705/israel-files-complaint-with-un-over-border-infiltrations | work = JTA | date = 2011-05-16 | access-date = 2011-05-18 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110517220146/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/05/16/3087705/israel-files-complaint-with-un-over-border-infiltrations | archive-date = 2011-05-17 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
* Iran urged the ] to take "serious and firm action" against "the Zionist regime's recent criminal actions and the killing of the regional countries' people", that the killing of people staging peaceful demonstrations added another "black stain" on the "ignominious record of the Zionist regime", and that it added to Israel's "long list of crimes".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=241002|title = Iran urges intl. Response to Israel atrocities on Nakba Day|date = 18 May 2011}}</ref>
* Lebanon filed a complaint to the ] over the "killing and wounding of civilians", claiming that Israel's actions constituted a "hostile act" and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and United Nations Resolutions, urging the Security Council to pressure Israel to stop its "hostile and provocative policies against Lebanon" and to "hold it accountable for killing civilians".<ref name=UNprotests>{{Cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20110517-israel-lebanon-make-rival-un-protests-over-clashes#|title=Israel, Lebanon make rival UN protests over clashes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com |title=Lebanon complaint to UN: Israel attack was a hostile act |publisher=Jpost.com |date=2013-06-20 |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref>
* Syria condemned Israel, referring to its actions as "criminal activities". The Syrian Foreign Ministry said that Israel "will have to bear full responsibility" for its actions, calling on the international community to hold Israel responsible, and claiming that the "popular Palestinian struggle" was a result of Israel's "continuous disregard" of international institutions and "plunder" of Palestinian "rights and lands".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4069005,00.html |title=Syria: Israel's actions criminal - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2013-10-02}}</ref> Syria filed a complaint to the ], urging it to "take responsibility and put pressure on Israel to stop its aggressive and provocative policy towards Lebanon".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4069408,00.html |title=Israel files complaint against Syria, Lebanon - Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2013-10-02 |last1=Greenberg |first1=Hanan }}</ref>
* The United Kingdom expressed deep concerns and called on all parties to exercise restraint and protect civilian life in a statement released by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The statement also said that "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".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=PressR&id=596269382 |title=Announcements - GOV.UK |publisher=Fco.gov.uk |date= |access-date=2013-10-02 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* The United States expressed regret for the deaths, but that Israel had a right to secure its borders and its neighbors had a responsibility to prevent such activities, and urged maximum restraint. The United States also accused Syria of deliberately provoking Israel to distract attention from the ] on civilian protestors in Syria.<ref>{{cite news | author = USA Today | title = White House calls Syrian actions 'unacceptable' | url = http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/05/obama-white-house-calls-syrian-actions-unacceptable/1?sms_ss=gmail&at_xt=4dd2ccd9b01e9d4c%2C0 | work = USA Today | date = 2011-05-17 | access-date = 2011-05-17 }}</ref>


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|2}} {{Reflist|2}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category|2011 Nakba Day}} {{Commons category-inline}}
*

]
]
]
]
]
]


]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 01:37, 19 October 2024

Annual commemoration event tragedy

Nakba Day in 2011 was the annual day of commemoration for the Palestinian people marking the Nakba—the displacement that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948. Generally held on May 15, commemorative events in 2011 began on May 10, in the form of march by Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel on Israel's Independence Day. On May 13, clashes between stone-throwing youths and Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem resulted in one Palestinian fatality, and clashes continued there and in parts of the West Bank in the days following.

In an unprecedented development on May 15, thousands of people, mostly Palestinian refugees from Lebanon, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Syria, marched towards the ceasefire borders with Israel. Fifteen Palestinians were killed and hundreds wounded, most by live ammunition as the Israeli Defense Forces tried to hold them back across the line. Dozens of Israelis were also injured. More than a hundred protestors from Syria managed to breach the fence and enter the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and at least one made it all the way to Tel Aviv.

Attempts by march organizers in Egypt and Jordan to reach their countries' borders with Gaza and Israel, respectively, were largely thwarted by domestic security forces. At a mass demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, the Egyptian Army used tear gas and live fire to disperse the crowd, wounding 353. In other events in Tel Aviv, an Israeli man was killed and others wounded by an Arab truck driver who claimed he lost control of his vehicle, but is suspected by Israeli police of having purposefully carried out a "terrorist attack".

Organized by calls put out by Palestinians on Facebook, the border marches were given impetus by the revolutions and uprisings taking place in the Arab world. The American and Israeli governments said the marches were coordinated by the Iranian and the Syrian governments to shift public attention from domestic unrest.

Background

Al-Nakba is the Arabic word for "the catastrophe" or "the disaster" and is used by Palestinians to refer to the loss of Palestine, the displacement and dispersal that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948. More than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled over the course of the 1948 Palestine War and they and their descendants number several million today, divided between Jordan (2 million), Lebanon (427,057), Syria (477,700), the West Bank (788,108) and the Gaza Strip (1.1 million), with another quarter of a million internally displaced Palestinians in Israel.

Nakba Day is commemorated annually, generally on May 15. Commemorations among Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel are often held on Israeli Independence Day which falls on the Hebrew calendar date of 5 Iyar (in 2011, May 10). On that day, several thousand internally displaced Palestinians and their supporters held their 14th annual "March of Return" between al-Damun and al-Ruways, two Palestinian villages depopulated during the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight. At least 1,000 Arabs and Jews held the first public commemoration of the Nakba in Jaffa on May 14 to protest the "Nakba Law" passed by the Israeli Knesset in March. Organized by members of youth movements in Jaffa and Lod, Arab Members of Knesset did not attend the protest, where demonstrators chanted pro-Palestinian, pan-Arab, and anti-Israel slogans, and blocked traffic along Jaffa's main street.

In anticipation of Nakba Day events, the Israeli military sealed off the West Bank for 24 hours and deployed IDF regiments and Border Police gendarmes. Inside Israel, police prepared for Arab protests and possible violence, and security forces were deployed in the predominantly Arab Wadi Ara region. A heavy police presence was reported in many of Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods, and included both regular police officers and Border Police gendarmes.

Israeli forces were provided with riot and crowd-control gear, and were ordered to use live fire only under extreme circumstances. Israel's political leadership instructed the IDF not to take risks and assume major precautions. Soldiers were ordered not to intervene in peaceful demonstrations that did not target soldiers, settlers, or infrastructure. The IDF said that it wanted "zero funerals" during the demonstrations. Senior field officers were deployed in every sector of operations to monitor the situation and assist in the decision-making process. Israeli commanders also monitored internet chatter and social media websites to get a clear sense of the Palestinian street's mood. IDF Brigades were also trained to deal with clashes between Palestinians and settlers.

Border demonstrations

See also: 2011 Israeli border demonstrations

Inspired by the uprisings and revolutions taking place in the Arab world, Palestinians used Facebook to call for mass protests throughout the region on May 15, 2011, Nakba Day. A page calling for a "Third Palestinian Intifada" to begin on May 15 garnered more than 350,000 "likes" before being taken down by Facebook managers at the end of March after complaints from the Israeli government as well as a counter group which repeatedly requested Facebook to block the page on the grounds that it incited violence. The page called for mass marches to Palestine from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to commemorate the Nakba and demand the right of return for all Palestinian refugees.

Egypt

Free Palestine rally in Cairo
An Egyptian burning an Israeli flag during a Nakba Day protest at the Israeli embassy in Cairo, 2011 May 15

Organizers in Egypt had been preparing for weeks to implement the plans for a mass march to the border. In addition to demanding the right of return for Palestinian refugees, several demands specific to Egypt were added by Cairo organizers, including the opening of the Rafah border on a permanent basis, the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Egyptian jails, and an end to the export of Egyptian gas to Israel and all other "humiliating agreements with the Zionist state".

On the Friday (May 13) before Nakba Day, thousands demonstrated in Cairo's Tahrir Square in solidarity with Palestinians (and Copts). On Saturday, thousands were planning to make their way toward the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip in convoys set to depart from Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, Damietta, North Sinai. Gharbiya, Beni Suef, Assiut, Qena and Sohag. However, an order from the Supreme Council of Armed Forces to tourism companies not to send buses to the convoy organizers left them without sufficient transportation and the few buses they did manage to procure were stopped by the army. The blockage of access by Egyptian forces to the Sinai Peninsula, meant that only about 80 activists managed to reach the border with Rafah.

At the Israeli Embassy in Cairo on May 15, thousands gathered for a demonstration. Individuals tried to break into the building, but were dispersed by Egyptian security forces using tear gas and live fire. Some 353 protesters were injured and 180 arrested. At least two of the wounded had been shot in head and chest by Egyptian forces, and at least two of those arrested were well known for their tweets during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.

Israel

On 15 May, about 25 Arab-Israeli students gathered near Avivim alongside the border with Lebanon to commemorate Nakba Day. Israeli police ordered them to leave the area. A female attorney among the protesters asked why and was slapped by an Israeli police commander. The protesters said they could not leave immediately because they were waiting for their bus to arrive, and that they were attacked by security forces who fired tear gas. Israeli authorities said the group had no permit to protest and that the area had been declared a closed military zone because of the escalating border disturbances. A police statement said when they refused to leave, reasonable force was used to remove them, and eight people were arrested.

Jordan

In Jordan, 200 Palestinian students attempted to march towards the Israeli border, but were stopped by Jordanian security forces. Six people were injured. They were part of a larger group of 500 who were stopped at the Allenby Bridge. Jordanian authorities said a total of 25 people were injured, including 11 police officers. The political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, condemned police actions which they described as "shocking" stating: "We condemn the attack, which is part of government policies to impose its will on the people, and we demand an end to such policies that have harmed Jordan's image."

Lebanon

In Lebanon, activists had organized an event on a mountaintop in the village of Maroun al-Ras that overlooks the border with Israel. Some 30,000 people, including Palestinian refugees from various Palestinian refugee camps across Lebanon attended. After walking up the mountain to the protest site, many decided to descend the opposite side, and continued on towards the border. Lebanese Army soldiers fired into the air in a failed effort to deter them. Crossing through a minefield that was laid by Israel during the 2006 Lebanon War, they reached the border fence, and threw stones over it, chanting for their right of return. Eleven Palestinian refugees were killed and 100 injured by gunfire before the protesters retreated. Media reported that the protesters were shot by the IDF. The IDF said most of those killed were likely shot by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and that they had a video that established this, but would not release it on the grounds that it might cause embarrassment to the Lebanese Army.

Palestinian territories

Palestinians throwing rocks while taking cover behind an ambulance at Qalandiya

On 13 May, protests took place throughout the West Bank, primarily at the weekly Friday protests against the separation fence. Near Nabi Salih, dozens of Palestinians, Israeli leftists, and foreign activists clashed with IDF forces who said they were dispersed for throwing stones. Protestors reported 10 injuries. Similar protests took place in Na'alin and Umm Salamuna, south of Bethlehem, where six were arrested and the area sealed off by the IDF. A protest was also held near Bil'in.

Palestinian demonstrators marched on the Qalandia checkpoint on May 15. Organizers had previously convened seminars on strategies for non-violent resistance to prepare for a march on the Qalandia checkpoint on May 15. Several of them were arrested by Palestinian Authority police in the month before the protest date. Representatives from Bi'lin, Nil'in and Nabi Salih, villages known for their grassroots weekly protests against the separation barrier, attended the protest which began at around 10:30am on May 15. More than 1,000 protestors marched through the Qalandia refugee camp until they reached within 100 meters of the checkpoint, where Israeli forces used tear gas to disperse them. A standoff ensued that lasted more than seven hours between Israeli soldiers and around 100 Palestinian protesters who threw stones as Israeli troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Israeli undercover officers in plain clothes carrying pistols ran into the crowd from time to time and made arrests. In several incidents, Palestinians took cover behind ambulances while throwing rocks. More than 80 Palestinians, including three paramedics, were injured, and 20 were hospitalized. Dr. Sami Dar Nakhla said the IDF was using a new form of toxic tear gas that caused seizures and unconsciousness, and remarked that the last time he saw so many casualties in one day was during the Second Intifada.

Between 500 and 600 Palestinians marched towards the Erez crossing on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. IDF forces fired on the group intermittently over the course of several hours with tanks, machine guns, gas canisters, and sound bombs, killing one demonstrator and wounding more than 80. The IDF said that it fired at the legs of protestors approaching the fence. The wounded included 31 children and 3 journalists who attended the march. A group of youth under the age of 18 who approached the fence were fired upon by a tank, wounding 15. A group of Palestinian women also came to the site to throw stones. Hamas, which governs the territory, reportedly asked protesters to withdraw from the border. In a separate incident, Israeli troops killed 17-year-old Khamis Salah Mesleh Habeeb in the "buffer zone" at the Israel-Gaza Strip border near the Nahal Oz crossing. The IDF said that troops opened fire on a Palestinian man they suspected of placing explosives on the Israel-Gaza Strip border fence near Nahal Oz.

Syria

In Syria, the demonstrations were organized by phone and Internet by Palestinian refugees, most of them university students independent of any political faction, in response to the call for a "Third Palestinian Intifada" on Facebook. Demonstrators gathered near the Israeli-Syrian ceasefire line waving Palestinian flags. The first wave of demonstrators was stopped by Syrian police, who were later overtaken when a second group arrived. About 1,000 demonstrators approached the fence, and some 300 children among them, rushed toward the fence. Some managed to breach the border and enter the Israeli side of the ceasefire line. The sole Israeli military patrol present was overwhelmed and opened fire on the demonstrators, who threw stones at Israeli troops. Four demonstrators were killed and dozens injured. The dead were Palestinian refugees: Qais Abu Alheija from Houd, Bashar Ali Shahabi from Lubya, Samer Khartabeel from Tiberias, and Abadah Zaghmout from Safsaf. Two demonstrators were arrested and detained, but were returned to Syria. About a dozen Israeli soldiers injured by stone-throwing during the clashes, and suffered mild-to-moderate injuries. Among the injured was the Israeli commander, Colonel Eshkol Shukrun, who was hit in the face.

More than a hundred demonstrators managed to bypass the fence and enter the Arab Druze town of Majdal Shams. Arab residents of the Golan Heights, many of whom still hold Syrian citizenship, had gathered near the fence when they heard shots, and welcomed those who entered Majdal Shams, offering them food and drink. The demonstrators eventually headed back to Syria after negotiations, and police combed the area for any additional infiltrators. At least one demonstrator, Hassan Hijazi, a 28-year-old Palestinian refugee, managed to hitch a ride to central Israel with Israeli and French Arab peace activists, and reached Tel Aviv by bus, even sitting alongside Israeli soldiers. After finding his old family home in Jaffa, he turned himself in at a police station, saying he had fulfilled a lifelong ambition.

Other Nakba Day events

Israel and the Palestinian territories

On 13 May, Palestinian residents in Jerusalem clashed with Israeli security forces, throwing stones and molotov cocktails. One demonstrator, Milad Sayyid Ayyash, was shot in the Silwan neighborhood either by Israeli security forces or a private security guard, and died in hospital the following day. About 30 demonstrators and four police officers and gendarmes were injured during the clashes, and 70 Palestinians were arrested.

On 14 May, a funeral procession for Milad Sayyid Ayyash passed through Silwan, where some participants threw stones at Jewish homes. Palestinians also threw stones at police and vehicles sporting Israeli flags for independence day throughout east Jerusalem. Five police officers were injured by stone-throwing, and one was hospitalized. Security forces arrested 13 Palestinians. In the Arab-Israeli city of Qalansawe, residents also threw stones at police. At least 1,000 Arabs and Jews from across Israel attended a procession in Jaffa, marching down Jaffa's main street to a park in the Ajami neighborhood, where a rally and concert by Arab-Israeli hip-hop group DAM was held. The demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and signs, and loudly chanted pro-Palestinian, Arab nationalist, and anti-Israel slogans. There was a very small police presence, and no counter-protests. Police blocked traffic from reaching the demonstration. However, a minor incident took place prior to the demonstration when a group of protesters arrived at the promenade in Tel Aviv and left their bus while waving Palestinian flags, prompting passerby to spit on and curse them. The protesters responded with slurs and returned to the bus.

Israeli soldiers and Palestinian demonstrators in Al-Arroub

On May 15, hundreds of Palestinians clashed with IDF and police forces at the Qalandiya checkpoint and throughout Jerusalem, with dozens hurling stones. Four police officers were lightly injured in several incidents. Three molotov cocktails were also thrown at the back gate of Hadassah Hospital at Mount Scopus. Security forces responded with crowd-control measures, and arrested 36 protesters. Several were arrested by undercover officers. Israeli authorities closed off the Old City in Jerusalem to prevent large rallies. Shop owners in the Muslim and Christian Quarters closed down their shops in observance of a strike to commemorate Nakba Day. Three Palestinians were arrested in the Old City after they threatened local business owners to participate in the strike.

At 12pm, a 63-second siren was sounded throughout the West Bank to commemorate 63 years since the Nakba. In Ramallah's Al-Manara Square, a gathering organized by the Palestinian Authority to commemorate Nakba Day was attended by thousands of people who waved Palestinian flags and black flags, burned Israeli flags, and watched concerts. At another rally for thousands staged near the tomb of late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat, the PLO's head of refugees' affairs made a speech vowing the refugees' right of return would not be abandoned by the Palestinian leadership. At the entrance of nearby Birzeit University, Palestinian students burned tires and pelted Israeli soldiers manning the 'Atara checkpoint with stones. Israeli troops responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas canisters, injuring 30 protesters according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

About 100 residents of Hebron released 200 black balloons to commemorate the Nakba in the center of the city in a rally organized by Fatah. Israeli forces dispersed the demonstrators. Ten demonstrators were injured, and a further 18 suffered from tear gas inhalation. While the demonstration was taking place, Israeli settlers from Kiryat Arba threw four molotov cocktails at a Hebron home while 30 family members and European observes were inside. In nearby Al-Fawwar refugee camp, Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian protesters, where six suffered from tear gas inhalation. Palestinians also demonstrated near the Israeli settlement bloc of Gush Etzion. Palestinian Authority security forces arrested some demonstrators, while allowing other protests to go unhindered.

Following the events of Nakba Day, Palestinian factions in the West Bank called for a two-hour general strike to mourn demonstrators killed.

Tel Aviv truck attack

Main article: 2011 Tel Aviv truck attack

In Tel Aviv, an Israeli man was killed and 17 people were injured when Islam Issa, an Israeli-Arab truck driver from Kafr Qasim, rammed several vehicles along a 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) highway section along Bar-Lev Street. Issa was arrested and indicted.

Issa was tried in the Tel Aviv District Court on one count of murder, six counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and endangering human lives. On July 19, 2012, he was found guilty, with the judges ruling unanimously. On November 14, 2012, Issa was sentenced to life imprisonment and an additional 40 years. He was also ordered to pay NIS 258,000 to the family of the man killed, and an additional NIS 230,000 to the rest of the victims.

Reactions

  • Israel stated the demonstrators committed a "serious" incursion, arguing that "Syria is a police state. Demonstrators do not randomly approach the border without the prior approval of the central government", and that the demonstrations were an "Iranian provocation, on both the Syrian and the Lebanese frontiers, to try to exploit the Nakba day commemorations." Israel filed a complaint against Syria and Lebanon to the United Nations, citing violations of its borders with alleged backing from the Syrian authorities.
  • Iran urged the United Nations to take "serious and firm action" against "the Zionist regime's recent criminal actions and the killing of the regional countries' people", that the killing of people staging peaceful demonstrations added another "black stain" on the "ignominious record of the Zionist regime", and that it added to Israel's "long list of crimes".
  • Lebanon filed a complaint to the United Nations Security Council over the "killing and wounding of civilians", claiming that Israel's actions constituted a "hostile act" and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and United Nations Resolutions, urging the Security Council to pressure Israel to stop its "hostile and provocative policies against Lebanon" and to "hold it accountable for killing civilians".
  • Syria condemned Israel, referring to its actions as "criminal activities". The Syrian Foreign Ministry said that Israel "will have to bear full responsibility" for its actions, calling on the international community to hold Israel responsible, and claiming that the "popular Palestinian struggle" was a result of Israel's "continuous disregard" of international institutions and "plunder" of Palestinian "rights and lands". Syria filed a complaint to the United Nations Security Council, urging it to "take responsibility and put pressure on Israel to stop its aggressive and provocative policy towards Lebanon".
  • The United Kingdom expressed deep concerns and called on all parties to exercise restraint and protect civilian life in a statement released by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The statement also said that "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".
  • The United States expressed regret for the deaths, but that Israel had a right to secure its borders and its neighbors had a responsibility to prevent such activities, and urged maximum restraint. The United States also accused Syria of deliberately provoking Israel to distract attention from the government crackdowns on civilian protestors in Syria.

References

  1. Gideon Biger (17 May 2011). "Israel was infiltrated, but no real borders were crossed". Haaretz. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  2. ^ Karin Laub - The Associated Press (17 May 2011). "Palestinians test tactic of unarmed mass marches". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  3. ^ Israeli forces open fire at Palestinian protesters. BBC News. 2011-05-15.
  4. Jack Guez (May 16, 2011). "At least 12 people killed as Israelis open fire on border protesters". Herald Sun.
  5. "דובר הבית הלבן: לישראל יש זכות להגן על גבולותיה". הארץ. Archived from the original on 2011-08-26. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
  6. Mehran Kamrava (2005). The modern Middle East: a political history since the First World War (Illustrated ed.). University of California Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-520-24150-3. nakba loss of palestine.
  7. Samih K. Farsoun (2004). Culture and customs of the Palestinians (Illustrated ed.). Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-313-32051-4. nakba refugees return.
  8. Derek Gregory (2004). The colonial present: Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq (Illustrated, reprint ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-57718-090-6.
  9. ^ Blomfield, Adrian (2011-05-19). "Israel braced for further Palestinian protests". London: Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  10. Figures given here for the number of Palestinian refugees includes only those registered with UNRWA as June 2010. Internally displaced Palestinians were not registered, among others. Factbox: Palestinian refugee statistics
  11. "Thousands Mark Palestinian Nakba in Galilee". Alternativenews.org. 2011-05-12. Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  12. Shaalan, Hassan (1995-06-20). "Hundreds mark 'Nakba Day' in Jaffa - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  13. ^ Hartman, Ben. "Hundreds hold first-ever Nakba Day march in Jaffa". jpost.com. 2011-05-15.
  14. ^ More than 100 injured in West Bank Nakba protests Archived 2014-10-30 at the Wayback Machine. Ma'an News Agency. 2011-05-15.
  15. Greenberg, Hanan (1995-06-20). "IDF gears for 'Nakba Day' - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  16. Greenberg, Hanan (1995-06-20). "IDF chief warns of violence on 'Nakba Day' - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  17. Fishman, Alex (1995-06-20). "The goal: Zero funerals - Israel Opinion, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  18. "Persistence will pay off for Palestinians". Atimes.com. 2011-05-18. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  19. ^ "Army fires on Cairo's Nakba rally". Bikyamasr.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  20. ^ "Syrian infiltrator recounts journey to TA". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. 1995-06-20. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  21. ^ "Israeli Troops Clash with Palestinian Protesters". Thirdage.com. 2011-05-15. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  22. Kevin Flower (2011-03-29). "Facebook page supporting Palestinian intifada pulled down". Articles.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-24. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  23. ^ "Egyptians to mark Nakba with a march to Palestine". English.ahram.org.eg. 2011-05-09. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  24. Egyptians rally at Rafah for Palestinian rights Archived 2014-03-12 at the Wayback Machine. Ma'an News Agency. 2011-05-15.
  25. Rights organization urges release of Nakba protesters. Al-Masry Al-Youm. 2011-05-17.
  26. Magnezi, Aviel (1995-06-20). "Watch: Police commander slaps Arab protester". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  27. Muir, Jim. Palestinian protests: Arab spring or foreign manipulation?. BBC News. 2011-05-15.
  28. Jordan police say 25 hurt in Nakba clashes Archived 2013-05-14 at the Wayback Machine. Ma'an News Agency. 2011-05-16.
  29. ^ "In Pictures: Nakba day violence on the Israel-Lebanon border". Al Jazeera English.
  30. ^ "Palestinian refugee camps bury Nakba martyrs". Dailystar.com.lb. 2011-05-17. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  31. ^ "Israel: Unrest on the borders". The Economist. 15 May 2011. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  32. Katz, Yaakov (2011-05-17). "IDF withholds video of Lebanese firing on protesters". Jpost.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  33. "ynetnews - sorry page". ynetnews.
  34. ^ Kieron Monks. "Green shoots emerge at Qalandia checkpoint". English.aljazeera.net. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  35. ^ Donnison, Jon (2011-05-16). "Palestinians emboldened by Arab Spring". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  36. "Camera Doesn't Lie: Attackers Hide Behind Ambulances". Israel National News. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  37. ^ Palestinians killed in 'Nakba' clashes. Al-Jazeera English. 2011-05-15.
  38. "Israel-Syria-Lebanon borders calm after Palestinian Nakba protest". Monsters and Critics. 1948-05-14. Archived from the original on 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  39. ^ dhyams (2011-05-13). "Israeli military's killing of Nakba protesters must be investigated". Amnesty.org. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  40. ^ Greenberg, Hanan (1995-06-20). "Gaza: Dozens hurt by IDF fire - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  41. "Shot Palestinian youth proud of Golan protest". 2011-05-18. Archived from the original on January 31, 2014. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  42. ^ Nabulsi, Karma (2011-05-19). "Nakba day: we waited 63 years for this". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  43. ^ "'They crossed minefields,' Golan residents marvel". Middle-east-online.com. 2011-05-17. Archived from the original on 2011-08-08. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  44. ^ Greenberg, Hanan (15 May 2011). "IDF says handled border breach well". ynet.
  45. Arens, Moshe (2011-05-17). "IDF unprepared for Syria border breach, despite intelligence tips". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  46. Efraim, Omri (1995-06-20). "'Nakba Day' rioters throw stones at police - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  47. Shaalan, Hassan (1995-06-20). "Hundreds mark 'Nakba Day' in Jaffa - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  48. ^ Levy, Elior (1995-06-20). "Palestinian mark 'Nakba Day'". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  49. Levy, Elior (1995-06-20). "IDF, Palestinians clash near Jerusalem - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  50. Hebron: Settlers set fire to homes as residents mark Nakba Archived 2013-05-14 at the Wayback Machine. Ma'an News Agency. 2011-05-15.
  51. Hasson, Nir (2011-05-14). "Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli forces on Nakba Day - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  52. Monday strike called to mourn Nakba fallen Archived 2013-07-30 at the Wayback Machine. Ma'an News Agency. 2011-05-15.
  53. Zitun, Yoaz (1995-06-20). "Suspected terror attack in TA; 1 dead - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  54. Cohen-Freidman, Naama (19 July 2012). "TA Nakba day rampage driver convicted - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  55. Cohen-Friedman, Naama (1995-06-20). "'Nakba Day' rampage driver gets life in prison - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  56. JTA (2011-05-16). "Israel files complaint with U.N. over border infiltrations". JTA. Archived from the original on 2011-05-17. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  57. "Iran urges intl. Response to Israel atrocities on Nakba Day". 18 May 2011.
  58. "Israel, Lebanon make rival UN protests over clashes".
  59. "Lebanon complaint to UN: Israel attack was a hostile act". Jpost.com. 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  60. "Syria: Israel's actions criminal - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. 1995-06-20. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  61. Greenberg, Hanan (1995-06-20). "Israel files complaint against Syria, Lebanon - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  62. "Announcements - GOV.UK". Fco.gov.uk. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  63. USA Today (2011-05-17). "White House calls Syrian actions 'unacceptable'". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-05-17.

External links

Media related to 2011 Nakba Day at Wikimedia Commons

Categories: