PA president says protesters "precious blood will not be wasted"; Hamas calls Nakba Day events "a turning point in the Israeli-Arab conflict."
By REUTERS, JPOST.COM STAFFmahmoud abbas_311(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in a televised address to mark Nakba Day that those killed in clashes with the IDF on Sunday were martyrs to the Palestinian cause."Their precious blood will not be wasted. It was spilt for the sake of our nation's freedom," Abbas said.RELATED:'Shooting at Syrian protesters may violate int'l law'Syria condemns Israel's 'criminal acts' against protestersAt least one Syrian national was killed by IDF gunfire when Nakba Day protesters tried to infiltrate Israel's border on Sunday. In similar clashes along the Lebanese border, conflicting reports spoke of between 3 and 10 people killed, while the IDF said that most and possibly all of the casualties were caused by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). At the same time, scores of Palestinians attacked IDF soldiers at the Kalandiya border crossing between Ramallah and Jerusalem with stones and gasoline bombs. In the Gaza Strip, one Palestinian was killed and at least 80 others were wounded when thousands of Palestinians marched toward IDF troops at the Nahal Oz and Erez border crossings, sources in Gaza City said.A spokesman for Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Sami Abu Zuhri, addressed the events of Nakba Day, calling Sunday "a turning point in the Israeli-Arab conflict" that proved the Palestinian people and Arabs were committed to ending Israeli occupation.Hezbollah condemned the "Israeli aggression on unarmed civilians in Maroun al-Ras and in the Golan, which constitutes a dangerous violation of human rights," said Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah who was participating at a pro-Palestinian Nakba Day protest in Maroun al-Ras, Lebanon."The resistance movement in Lebanon (Hezbollah) will continue to be an advocate for Palestinian national rights and calls on everyone to stand united in confronting Israeli occupation.""What happened today in Maroun al-Ras and in the Golan is an embodiment of the will of the Palestinian people who are committed to the right of return."Click for special Jpost coverage
