Israeli soldiers have shot and killed at least 55 Palestinians and wounded at least 2200 after protesters attempted to cross the border fence separating Gaza from Israel. The mass protest, which had been running for six weeks, began in response to United States president Donald Trump’s pledge to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as well as to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in 1948. Israeli and American officials attended an embassy opening ceremony in Jerusalem as the violence unfolded. Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the embassy relocation “a glorious day for Israel”, saying “we are in Jerusalem and we are here to stay”. South Africa and Turkey recalled their ambassadors to Israel at the news, with the South African government saying it “condemns in the strongest terms possible the latest act of violent aggression carried out by Israeli armed forces along the Gaza border”.
A Coalition backbencher has urged the federal government to intervene in the preselection drama that cost frontbencher Jane Prentice her seat. Speaking to the ABC, member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch, said “what has happened with Jane is a bloody disgrace” and urged the party’s federal leadership to come to her defence. Entsch said Prentice’s replacement in the Brisbane seat of Ryan by a male former staffer “sends a very, very bad message with regards to women in politics in Queensland”. Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said the federal party would respect the Ryan branch’s decision, saying the outcome was “the consequence of having a grassroots political party”. In a text to ABC journalist Matt Wordsworth, Prentice said “as someone once said … shit happens”.
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