Palestinians in Israel go on strike in support of Gaza

The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee of the Israeli Arab community has declared a general strike today in protest against the death of 63 Palestinians in Gaza.

An Arab Knesset member from the opposition Zionist Union faction, Zouheir Bahloul, announced that he will be joining the strike, Haaretz reported.

Morally, I cannot continue with regular routine.

“The Netanyahu government, which has been neglecting the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip for years, is doing nothing to calm the bloody confrontation in the Strip. I again call for the establishment of an investigative committee on open-fire orders at civilian demonstrators.”

At a protest yesterday, Joint List Knesset Member of the Knesset Yousef Jabareen said:

It is our right and even our duty to express identification with our people [the Palestinians], whom the army has been slaughtering for the past several weeks on the Gaza border.

“I condemn the provocation of the police forces and the special forces who came with weapons and ammunition despite the fact that it involved a democratic and non-violent demonstration.”

READ: Gaza death toll rises to 61

Protests were held in a number of cities in Israel yesterday against the occupation forces’ brutality in Gaza and to commemorate 70 years since the Nakba, when nearly one million Palestinians were forced from their homes to make way for the creation of the state of Israel.

Thousands of Palestinians have been injured in the besieged Gaza Strip has they took part in the Great March of Return to demand their right of return and the end to the 11-year-old siege. Israeli occupation forces used live fire and tear gas to disperse the unarmed crowds killing 63. An eight-month-old was the youngest victim of the Israeli brutality.

The 70th anniversary of the Nakba – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]