Jerusalem: Days after the deadly flare-up along Israel’s border with Gaza, during which Israeli troops killed 15 Palestinians, a new war — of videos and strong statements — has erupted over what happened, and why.
The violence has waned in what was the bloodiest day in Gaza since the war of 2014, but both sides have been pressing their cases to defend their actions.
Palestinians, supported by human rights groups, view the events as a legitimate protest that was met with disproportionate force by trigger-happy Israeli soldiers.
Israel says it acted judiciously to prevent a dangerous breach of its borders and sovereignty led by Hamas, the Islamic group that controls Gaza, and to protect nearby communities. The toll would have been much higher, Israel says, if the protesters had managed to break through the security barrier.
Nobody did actually cross the fence on Friday.
The episode has elicited international concern and condemnation. The United Nations and the European Union have called for an independent and transparent investigation.
However, Israel’s defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, ruled out participation in any commission of inquiry, telling Army Radio on Sunday that the Israeli military “did what had to be done”.
He added, “I think that all of our troops deserve a medal.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey described the harsh Israeli response as “an inhumane attack.” After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel wrote on Twitter that “the most moral army in the world will not be preached to on morality by someone who for years has indiscriminately bombed a civilian population,” apparently referring to Ankara’s battle against the Kurds, Erdogan called the Israeli leader a “terrorist.”
Read the full article written by Isabel Kershner at the Sydney Morning Herald.