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As it happenedended

As it happened: At least 58 Palestinians killed and thousands injured by Israeli forces amid protests at US embassy in Jerusalem

As Israeli and American officials celebrated the change, thousands of Palestinian protesters were wounded or killed by Israeli bullets

Samuel Osborne,Clark Mindock,Jeremy B. White
Monday 14 May 2018 18:05 EDT
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu hail US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital

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At least 58 Palestinians were killed and more than 2,000 people wounded in protests at the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, according to Palestinian officials, on the same day the US fulfiled its controversial promise to move its embassy to the contested city of Jerusalem.

Thousands of demonstrators set fire to tyres on Monday, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air to deter Israeli snipers. The Israeli military said the protests were being used as cover for attacks on soldiers.

It marked the deadliest single day of protests in a weeks-long campaign from Hamas in the run up to the US embassy move and the Nakba, or ‘Catastrophe’, on Tuesday - celebrated in Israel as the country’s 70th birthday.

The order given to Israeli soldiers was to prevent Palestinians from crossing into Israel at any price, including direct live fire. Israel has also warned Hamas that any mass breakthrough will result in airstrikes on the group’s infrastructure inside the Strip - with a number of targets hit by Israeli forces by the afternoon.

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Hamas, the militant group that rules the Strip, had urged supporters to break through the 11-year-old Israel blockade, which has left Gaza "uninhabitable".

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the actions of the Israeli forces as a "genocide" and Israel as a "terrorist state".

"No matter from what side, whether from the United States or Israel, I curse this humanitarian plight, this genocide," he said.

Kuwait has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council amid international outcry over the clashes.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's top aides and supporters on Monday celebrated the opening of the new US Embassy in Jerusalem as a campaign promised fulfilled.

Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, along with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, led the US delegation with a single message: Only Trump had the courage to act on what America has wanted for a long time.

“While presidents before him have backed down from their pledge to move the American Embassy once they were in office, this president delivered. Because when President Trump makes a promise, he keeps it,” Mr Kushner said in his speech.

In a recorded message played at the ceremony, Mr Trump said the embassy move was a "long time coming" but he remained committed to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Our greatest hope is for peace,” said Trump, whose recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocation of the embassy to the holy city from Tel Aviv, has outraged Palestinians and drawn international concern.

“The United States remains fully committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement,” Mr Trump said. “The United States will always be a great friend of Israel and a partner in the cause of freedom and peace.”

The relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv has infuriated the Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as a future capital.

During the airing of his video message, Mr Trump tweeted:

Steve Anderson14 May 2018 14:52

In a reference to events in Gaza, Mr Kusher says that "those provoking problems like we see in Gaza are part of the problem and not part of the solution".

That can likely be seen as a veiled jab at Hamas, who Israel blame for stoking the protests on the border with Gaza.

Steve Anderson14 May 2018 14:54

Mr Kusner - who has been tasked with helping to hammer out a peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians by Mr Trump - has referred to the "truth' several times. What he says is the "truth" of Jerusalem's place as the capital of Israel.

"The road to peace begins with a strong America recognising the truth," Mr Kushner says.

Steve Anderson14 May 2018 14:59

Here is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

He says of the US that Israel has "no better friends in the world".

Steve Anderson14 May 2018 15:00

"What a glorious day, remember this moment," Mr Netanyahu adds. "This is history".

Steve Anderson14 May 2018 15:01

"We are in Jerusalem and we are here to stay," Mr Netanyahu says.

Referring to the clashes in Gaza, he praises the soldiers "protecting Israel's border today".

Steve Anderson14 May 2018 15:06

"God bless Jerusalem the undivided capital of Israel," is how Mr Netanyahu ends his speech. It is that type of rhetoric that will infuriate Palestinian leaders.

Steve Anderson14 May 2018 15:12

After a musical interlude the embassy ceremony has ended. Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner soak up the well-wishes from attendees as they head away.

Mr Netanyahu went out ahead of them, with much back-slapping on the way.

Steve Anderson14 May 2018 15:21

The White has issued a note on the embassy opening that says President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel “does not mean the United States has taken a position on final status negotiations” in relation to Jerusalem.

The briefing emphasises that this decision fulfills a promise made by Mr Trump and that is “simply a recognition of reality.”

No doubt Palestinian leaders will say that it does show that Mr Trump has taken a position, whatever the White House says.

Steve Anderson14 May 2018 15:34

An Israeli fighter jet has struck a military training facility belonging to the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

“The strike was conducted in response to the violent acts of the last few hours being carried out by Hamas along the security fence,” the statement says.

The IDF blames Hamas for provoking the protests on the border with Gaza.

Earlier, an aircraft and a tank targeted two Hamas military positions in response to an incident in which Israeli forces were fired upon, the statement adds.

“The IDF operates with determination in order to prevent massive terror activities constantly being led by the Hamas terror organisation in. Each act of terror will be met with a harsh response.”

Steve Anderson14 May 2018 15:35

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