On May 14, at least 52 Palestinian protesters were killed and over 2,410 were injured by Israeli forces during the protests around the so-called security fence in the Gaza Strip. The demonstrations took place amid the US embassy inauguration in Jerusalem, which took place on the same day. The Palestinian government described the violence as a “terrible massacre” perpetrated “by the forces of the Israeli occupation”.
Washington’s decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem triggered a series of massive protests, most recent of which started ahead of the ceremony. US President Donald Trump officially recongized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on April 6, 2017.
During the embassy inauguration ceremony, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for “having the courage to keep your promises”.
Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser to Trump, represented the US administration at the ceremony and stressed the importance of this move:
“The United States stands with Israel because we believe, we know, that it is the right thing to do.”
Later, Netanyahu explained the Israeli actions against protesters as self-defense against the Hamas movement.
“Every country has an obligation to defend its borders,” Netanyahu stated on Twitter. “The Hamas terrorist organization declares it intends to destroy Israel and sends thousands to breach the border fence in order to achieve this goal. We will continue to act with determination to protect our sovereignty and citizens.”
The Israeli occupation also suppressed Palestinian demonstrators and arrested a number of them in other areas, including the West Bank, Al-Quds, and Ramallah.