This past Friday, March 30, marked the start of Hamas Great March of Return. By dusk, nearly 20,000 Palestinians could be seen congregating for a series of mass protests in tent cities erected in six locations along the Israel-Gaza border. The encampments and the campaign leading up to the march were funded by Hamas at a cost of nearly $10 million. The camps will remain in place until mid-may to serve as staging areas for protesters, and include medical and media facilities, restrooms, and sleeping quarters. March 28, 2018. Installation of the camp close to Jabalia, Gaza. March 26, 2018. Media command installed prior to the march to host journalists. March 26, 2018 Gaza bulldozers preparing defensive positions for the protestors. 2
The protest commenced on what Palestinians refer to as Land Day, held each year on March 30 to commemorate the 1976 protests against the Israeli government s decision to annex Palestinian land, in which six unarmed Arab citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli security forces. The day is usually marked by protests and violence in the West Bank and Gaza. Protesters and Hamas leaders alike have publicly stated that the express purpose of the Great March of Return is to assert the Palestinian leadership s demand for the right of return for all refugees forced from their homes during Israel s 1948 War of Independence. The right of return for Palestinian refugees is widely seen as an untenable solution by much of the international community. Today, the United Nations classifies Palestinian refugees as persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict. The UN has also awarded a unique status to their descendants, counting them among the total global Palestinian refugee population regardless of where or when they were born. Individuals who fit these criteria now number more than 5 million, and it is widely accepted that these people will only be allowed to return to a future Palestinian state, rather than to their original homes in what is now the State of Israel. Although the Great March of Return was initially billed as a peaceful protest planned by civil society leaders, it was quickly taken over by the Hamas authorities and turned violent. It should be noted that while a significant majority of the protesters have remained at the tent encampments, positioned several hundreds of meters from the border, small groups of young men have broken off and approached the border with sinister motives. Members of the Hamas terrorist organization, as well as other Palestinian civilians, were witnessed throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Israel Defense Forces troops, rolling flaming tires toward the border, brandishing knives, and firing AK-47 style weapons across the fence. March 30, 2018. Palestinians storming Israel/Gaza border. 3
Thus far, clashes have resulted in the deaths of 17 Palestinians. Eleven of those killed had direct ties to Hamas terror network and were actively targeting Israelis with violence. The others were either engaged in violent or suspicious activities, or were seen attempting to breach the border fence. March 30. Violence during the demonstration. Just hours into the protest, the IDF released footage of two armed insurgents attempting to cross the border with the goal of attacking Israeli troops. The threat was neutralized with a requisite lethal response, and the attackers weapons were later retrieved from the scene of the incident. March 30. Weapon found on the terrorist who tried to infiltrate Israel. The IDF has been tasked with protecting civilian populations under threat from terror organizations, and has made concerted efforts to preserve civilian lives during these protests. Ronen Manelis, the Chief Spokesperson of the IDF, explained that each of the Palestinian fatalities during the protests were men between the ages of 18 and 30. He also noted that a central figure in the organization (Hamas), was among those killed. The IDF further stated that it was acting, against violent protests and terrorist activities which included live fire towards its soldiers [and] attempts to infiltrate Israel. 4
Thus far, Hamas has publicly acknowledged that at least five of the fatalities were members of the organization s military wing, the Izz Al-Din Qassam Brigades. Released by the IDF 10 of the 11 Hamas terrorists killed during the demonstrations The Hamas terror organization has historically manipulated and used the civilian population of Gaza for its own gain, often putting lives at risk. The group is known for storing arms and rockets in mosques, schools, and homes, and using women and children as human shields in the middle of armed conflict. The group is now paying civilian protesters to storm one of the world s most heavily fortified and contested borders. On Friday, the UN Security Council convened for an emergency meeting, despite requests from the US and Israel to postpone it due to the fact that it was called for eve of the Passover holiday. The Kuwaiti delegation to the UN submitted a condemnatory resolution at the behest of a coalition of Arab states and called for an independent investigation of Israel s actions during the clashes on the Israel-Gaza border. In the end, the resolution was successfully blocked by Nikki Haley, United States Ambassador to the United Nations. 5
March 30. At the UNSC the Palestinian Ambassador to the UN calling for a resolution against Israel and support the violence: I would like to commend the resistance of our people. The Great March of Return is not dissimilar from previous events of this kind carried out by the Hamas terror organization over the years. There is no other way to describe Hamas use of civilians as cover for terror activities as anything other than cowardice. Like in past confrontations, there is no way for Israel to avoid unjust and undue criticism from many in the international community for defending itself against such threats, especially from Arab and Muslim states, as well as the left-leaning press. It is imperative to note that the Hamas charter, despite being rewritten in 2017, to appeal to an English-speaking audience, still calls for violent resistance against Zionists and the establishment of a Palestinian state in what is today all of Israel. The revised charter reads, Hamas believes that no part of the land of Palestine shall be compromised or conceded, irrespective of the causes, the circumstances and the pressures and no matter how long the occupation lasts. Hamas rejects any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea. The document continues, The following are considered null and void: the Balfour Declaration, the British Mandate Document, the UN Palestine Partition Resolution, and whatever resolutions and measures that derive from them or are similar to them. The establishment of Israel is entirely illegal All of which are documents critical to the founding and continued legitimacy of the State of Israel. At the time the charter was being revised, David Keyes, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained that, Hamas is attempting to fool the world but it will not succeed Daily, Hamas leaders call for genocide of all Jews and the destruction of Israel. They dig terror tunnels and have launched thousands upon thousands of missiles at Israeli civilians. Schools and mosques run by Hamas teach children that Jews are apes and pigs. This is the real 6
Hamas." The United Nations, European Union, United States, among others classify the group as a terror organization. Since 2007, when Hamas seized control and assumed responsibility of all administrative and social services for the Gaza Strip, it has redirected precious humanitarian aid to fund its terror infrastructure and wage war against Israel, all to the detriment of its own civilian population. Today, the people of Gaza live under the rule of the terror organization and face an economic and humanitarian crisis. The demonstrations along the Gaza border are planned to carry on for the next six weeks, and it is likely that there will be violent flare ups with each passing day. In addition to the mass protests, Palestinians have now taken their actions to the digital sphere, with activists calling for more civilians to join the march and posting calls to violence, as well as instructions on how to create homemade weapons. It is important to note that the IDF has taken pains to preserve civilian lives, and will only fire at protesters when there is a perceived threat of danger for Israeli soldiers and civilians. April 2, 2018. Palestinian activist explains how to prepare a fire bomb on Twitter. 7
April 3. Twitter post calling to bring tires to be burned during the demonstrations. 8