21 April 2018•Update: 22 April 2018
By Mustafa Deveci
JERUSALEM
Palestine will approach the UN Security Council to demand international protection for Palestinians under Israeli occupation, a spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas said Friday.
In a press statement, Nabil Abu Rudeinah called on the international community "to have a say to put an end to the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people”, Palestine’s official WAFA news agency reported.
He said the Israeli actions pose a threat not only to the Palestinian people but also to international law, which Israel violates every day.
"At a time when the [Israeli] occupation is continuing its violations against the Palestinian people, including the killing of protesters in Gaza, the Judaization of Jerusalem, [daily] arrests, confiscation of lands, attacks by settlers in the West Bank, the arson of places of worship and the drawing of racist graffiti, the Palestinian political action in the period to come will focus on requesting intentional protection,” said Abu Rudeinah.
Since border rallies began March 30, at least 39 Palestinians have been killed by cross-border Israeli gunfire, while thousands more have been injured.
Most of the deaths were reportedly caused by exploding bullets.
Demonstrators are demanding that Palestinian refugees be granted the “right of return” to their homes in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.
The rallies are part of a six-week demonstration that will culminate on May 15. That day will mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment -- an event Palestinians refer to as the “Nakba” or “Catastrophe”.
