MADRE Denounces the Violent Attacks against Palestinian Refugee Protesters

Posted on: Monday, May 16, 2011

Keywords: Palestine, Middle East

On Sunday, protesters demonstrated in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank to mark the anniversary of the “Nakba” (“catastrophe”), the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with the formation of Israel in 1948. They were met with lethal violence as Israeli troops fired on the protesters.

MADRE condemns the killing of more than a dozen protesters and the injury of more than 100 others. These deaths are the direct consequence of the use of disproportionate force against demonstrators, an internationally recognized human rights violation.

Palestinian refugees living in Syria crossed into the Golan Heights, and four were shot and killed. In Gaza, demonstrations that approached the border were also fired upon. Protesters who marched to the Qalandiya checkpoint in the West Bank were met with tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets.

For more information:

Israel Firing on Refugee Protesters, Institute for Public Accuracy

The Palestinian ‘Nakba’ Protests From Several Angles on YouTube, New York Times

Israel Opens Fire on Pro-Palestinian Protesters, Killing More Than a Dozen, AlterNet

UNRWA deplores deaths of Palestine refugees - Commissioner-General's statement, UNRWA

1948: Sixty Three Years On..., Institute for Palestine Studies

« Back to "MADRE Statements" Next Article »

Related articles:

Press & Publications

Press Room Publications Blog Related Websites

Archives