EU calls on Israel to respect right to peaceful protest

By Sadik Kedir Abdu

ANKARA

EU Vice President Federica Mogherini on Monday called on Israel to protect the right of peaceful protest in Gaza, a statement said.

The statement came on a day when thousands of Palestinians converged along the Gaza Strip’s eastern border with Israel to protest the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

At least 43 Palestinian demonstrators have been martyred -- and hundreds more injured -- by Israeli army forces deployed along the other side of the border, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

“Any further escalation of an already extremely tense and complex situation would cause again further unspeakable sufferings to both peoples, and will make the perspective of peace and security even more remote,” the statement quoted the EU vice president as saying.

Mogherini also affirmed the EU’s commitment to “meaningful negotiations” aimed at two-state solution.

“The EU will continue to respect the international consensus on Jerusalem embodied in, inter alia, UN Security Council Resolution 478, including on the location of diplomatic representations until the final status of Jerusalem is resolved,” the statement underscored.

Earlier, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman officially announced the relocation of Washington’s Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem’s Arnona district.

The relocation coincides with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s establishment in 1948 -- an event Palestinians refer to as the “Nakba” or the “The Catastrophe”.

Trump sparked international outcry last December when he unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and vowed to relocate Washington's embassy to the city.