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Protesters run to protect themselves from the tear gas thrown by Israeli soldiers during protests on the Gaza-Israel border on Monday, May 14, 2018. EFE / Mohammed Saber
Protesters run to protect themselves from the tear gas thrown by Israeli soldiers during protests on the Gaza-Israel border on Monday, May 14, 2018. EFE / Mohammed Saber

The massacre of Palestinian citizens in Gaza defines a new international landscape

“The blood of innocent Palestinians is on the hands of the United States” – Turkish government minister and spokesman, Bekir Bozdag.

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US interventionism in the Arab world is again stained with blood after the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem raised the tone of the protests against in the border with Gaza.

According to National Public Radio, "Israeli forces killed at least 60 protesters and injured more than 1,000” Palestinians who gathered in the 40 miles of the Gaza Strip to demonstrate against the unilateral decision of the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

"Several countries called for international inquiries, citing what the United Nations has described as ‘appalling, deadly violence', while others have summoned Israeli diplomats to explain the security forces’ actions," the media continues. "From South Africa to Saudi Arabia, from Turkey to Guatemala, Israel was met with a mixture of condemnations, pleas for restraint - and, in some cases, open arms."

In a more decisive tone, the Turkish government made the decision on Tuesday to expel the Israeli ambassador from the territory, as retaliation against the massacre.

Both Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkish President) and Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister) engaged in a heated debate over social networks that denote the seriousness of the situation, according to the Washington Post.

"Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless people’s lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions," Erdogan wrote. "He has the blood of the Palestinians on his hands and can’t cover up crimes by attacking Turkey. Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments."

For his part, the Israeli prime minister responded that Erdogan "is among Hamas's biggest supporters and there is no doubt that he well understands terrorism and slaughter. I suggest he not preach morality to us."

But much of the international community has supported the Palestinian people, criticizing US decisions for being "mere political weapons."

Another of the strongest complaints was that of the African Union, represented by its director, Moussa Faki Mahamat, who condemned "the disproportionate use of force by the Israeli army" and assured that "the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem can only heighten tensions in the region and complicate the search for a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Turkish media AA reported.

In addition, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop "urged Israel to be proportionate in its response and refrain from the excessive use of force."

For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow would be following "very closely" the development of the situation, with special concern for the responses of the Middle East Quartet (United States, Russia, European Union and United Nations) who "must avoid any actions provoking such spikes in tension.”

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono also condemned the massacre in Gaza and said Japan "has no plans to relocate its embassy."

Other countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Belgium, Senegal, Indonesia, France, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia condemned the violence, supported the Palestinian cause and agreed that the US provocation is far from being just.

This was demonstrated when the United States "blocked a UN Security Council statement calling for an independent investigation into the killings," using its veto right on the Council, Democracy Now reported.

However, for Sarah Helm, a journalist for The Independent who has covered the stories of the Gaza Strip since 1993, "the Palestinians of Gaza need more than expressions of sympathy if the killing is to stop. And they are well aware that the world attention will move away from them again as soon as the drama of the killing fields dies down."

"(The) events of the recent weeks, and particularly recent days have shown that the Palestinians have lost the most important objective of all: to be treated as human beings."

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