May 15, 2012
Nakba Day marked with rioting, rock throwing
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A Palestinian protester uses a sling to hurl stones at Israeli troops during clashes outside Ofer prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah on May 15. Photo by REUTERS/Darren Whiteside
Palestinians in Israel marked Nakba Day with riots and rock-throwing.
Palestinians on Tuesday rioted and threw rocks at Israeli troops near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, at the Kalandia checkpoint and at Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem. Several Palestinian rioters were arrested.
In Ramallah’s central Clock Square, thousands of Palestinians rallied at noon as a siren sounded to commemorate the Nakba, or catastrophe, referring to Israel’s foundation in 1948 as a state. A similar rally was scheduled to be held in Gaza.
On Tuesday morning a rocket fired from Gaza struck southern Israel, but did not cause any injuries or damage.
The Palestinian Authority reportedly declared a general strike, and the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee declared a strike in Israel’s Arab sector to mark the day. .
Nakba Day marches were also scheduled to be held in Jordan, and in Tahrir Square in Cairo. Commemorations of Nakba Day in Lebanon are being limited to the refugee camps, according to Lebanon’s The Daily Star. The orders come a year after more than 100 protesters stormed Lebanon’s border with Israel, leading to the death of at least 10 protesters.
Israel’s military has brought more troops to the country’s borders with Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Gaza in an attempt to prevent border breaches by protesters like those that occurred last year.
