Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders criticized the Israeli military’s violent response to recent protests in Gaza.
The trigger-happy Israeli soldiers killed at least 17 Palestinians and left more than 1,400 injured.
Senator Sanders said: “It is the right of all people to protest for a better future without a violent response.”
He said the situation in Gaza remains a humanitarian disaster, as reported by CNN.
“The US must play a more positive role in ending the Gaza blockade and helping Palestinians and Israelis build a future that works for all,” he said.
He was not alone in his criticism of Israel.
Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum said: “I am horrified by the tragic wounding & killing of Palestinian protesters in Gaza last Friday. Attacks on peaceful Palestinian protesters must end.”
As the Washington Post reported, videos circulating online appeared to document the Israeli military shooting unarmed demonstrators who posed no threat to Israeli forces, said Just Foreign Policy.
The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said: “These are the predictable outcomes of a manifestly illegal command: Israeli soldiers shooting live ammunition at unarmed Palestinian protesters.”
Hundreds of Israelis protested in Tel Aviv against the Israeli army’s shootings of protesters in Gaza in a rally co-sponsored by Peace Now [Shalom Achshav].
It is Israel’s preeminent peace movement, under the banner “Create hope, stop the next war.”
Peace Now issued a statement condemning what it called the Israeli army’s “trigger happy” policies under orders from the Netanyahu government.
The shooting also drew comments from Human Rights Watch.
The international agency said: “The shocking number of Palestinians killed and hurt by soldiers firing across the Gaza fence raises serious questions about Israel’s longstanding use of live ammunition to police demonstrations.
“Israel’s allegations of violence by some protesters do not change the fact that using lethal force is banned by international law except to meet an imminent threat to life.”
The Israeli military said it stopped a blood bath by shooting the unarmed Palestinians.
Israel’s defence ministry rejected calls for an inquiry into the incident.
Footage of the incident shows Israeli soldiers shooting at a Palestinian in the back while the latter was trying to run away from the massacre.
The article was sent by Just Foreign Policy.