Voice of America
15 May 2019, 20:07 GMT+10
GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP - Palestinians on Wednesday marked the 71st anniversary of their mass displacement during the 1948 war around Israel's creation with protests across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of people streamed to the Gaza-Israel frontier as the militant Hamas group, which controls Gaza, announced a general strike, closing schools and public institutions to allow for a large turnout.
For a year, Hamas has staged protests every Friday along the perimeter fence dividing Israel and Gaza, demanding an end to an Israeli-Egyptian blockade.
More than 60 Palestinians were killed at last year's demonstration, which coincided with the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in contested Jerusalem.
/**/ /**/ /**/
This year's demonstration, however, comes two weeks after a cease-fire was reached to end a fierce two-day round of fighting. A Qatari envoy, who has been helping mediate the cease-fire, has urged Hamas to keep Wednesday's demonstration restrained.
The demonstrations were marking what is known as the 'nakba,' or 'catastrophe,' in which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes during the war surrounding Israel's establishment. Today, there are an estimated 5 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.
The fate of the refugees is one of the core issues of dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel rejects demands for a mass return of refugees to long-lost homes, saying it would threaten the country's Jewish character.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, hundreds of people marched from the grave of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to a rally downtown, demanding the right to return to lost properties in what is now Israel.
'We will return, no matter how long it takes' read one of the signs.
Sirens also wailed across the West Bank at noon, and smaller demonstrations took place, in expressions of sadness.
Get a daily dose of Greek Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Greek Herald.
More InformationPARIS, France: Fast-fashion giant Shein has been fined 40 million euros by France's antitrust authority over deceptive discount practices...
GENEVA, Switzerland: A new United Nations report alleges that dozens of global corporations are profiting from and helping sustain...
LONDON/STOCKHOLM: The Persson family is ramping up its investment in the H&M fashion empire, fueling renewed speculation about a potential...
SYDNEY, Australia: Australia will not ease its strict biosecurity rules during trade talks with the United States, Prime Minister Anthony...
New Delhi [India], July 6 (ANI): A grand jungle safari project coming up in the Aravalli Hills is going to redefine Haryana's identity....
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 6 (ANI): The tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad last month has left many shaken, including actor...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
ISTANBUL/PARIS/BRUSSELS: As searing temperatures blanket much of Europe, wildfires are erupting and evacuation orders are being issued...
(Photo credit: John Oliva/Caller-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) The Netherlands' Mathieu Van der Poel earned his second...
Tel Aviv [Israel], July 6 (ANI/TPS): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's departure for Washington was delayed Sunday as tensions escalated...
GAZA, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Abdullah Al-Mashharawi's crutches lean against the flimsy wall of a tent wedged in the rubble of the damaged...
Human rights activist Craig Murray has claimed a US hedge fund is the real owner of the aircraft and that they are routinely leased...