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Israeli soldiers shot two Palestinians in a Nakba day demonstration near Ramallah in West Bank. The Palestinians, twenty-year-old Musaab Nuwarah and seventeen-year-old Mohammed Udeh, died of their wounds in a Ramallah hospital on Thursday.
The Palestinians were shot in the chest by Israeli Border Police forces during a demonstration held on Nakba, literally translating to catastrophe, remembering the day of creation of Israel in 1948. Around 150 people took part in the demonstration near Ofer prison, demanding the release of Palestinians being held by Israel.
Protestors set fire to several tires and stoned border police members at the Qalandiya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem. According to a spokesman for the army, the border police responded with “riot dispersal means”, usually a term used when tear gas or rubber bullets are involved. Hundreds of people in the Gaza Strip marched towards the Erez crossing, with some carrying Palestinian banners and flags, calling for the refugees to be allowed to return home. Rallies were also held in the West Bank cities of Hebron and Nablus.
People in the streets of Ramallah stood in silence for 66 seconds while sirens wailed in remembrance. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has his headquarters in the city, gave a speech on Wednesday, broadcast on Palestinian radio and television. “On this 66th anniversary of the Nakba we hope that this year will be the one in which our long suffering ends.It is time to put an end to the longest occupation in modern history and time for Israel’s leaders to understand that there is no other homeland for the Palestinians but Palestine”, he said.
After almost nine months of US-sponsored peace negotiations, Israel walked out of the talks when the Palestine Liberation Organization, led by Mahmoud Abbas, announced its unity deal with Hamas. Another stumbling block for the PLO in the talks was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting Palestinians unambiguously recognize Israel as a Jewish state.