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在线翻译:
szdaily -> World -> 
Protests cloud US Embassy opening in Jerusalem
    2018-05-15  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

THOUSANDS of Palestinian protesters converged along the border with Israel yesterday, drawing Israeli fire that killed at least 16 people in the bloodiest day of weeks of demonstrations and casting a cloud over Israel’s festive inauguration of the new U.S. Embassy in contested Jerusalem.

By midafternoon, at least 16 Palestinians, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed while over 500 were wounded by Israeli fire, Palestinian health officials said.

The protest in Gaza was to be the biggest yet in a weekslong campaign against a decade-old blockade of the territory. The relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv, a key campaign promise of U.S. President Donald Trump, has infuriated the Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as a future capital.

Yesterday marked the biggest showdown in recent weeks between Israel’s military and Gaza’s Hamas rulers along the volatile border.

Hamas leaders have suggested a border breach is possible, while Israel has warned it would prevent protesters from breaking through the barrier at any cost.

The timing of yesterday’s events was deeply symbolic, both to Israel and the Palestinians.

The U.S. said it chose the date to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s establishment.

But it also marks the anniversary of what Palestinians call their “nakba,” or catastrophe, a reference to the uprooting of hundreds of thousands who fled or were expelled from what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s independence.

A majority of Gaza’s 2 million people are descendants of refugees, and the protests have been billed as the “Great March of Return” to long-lost homes in what is now Israel.

In Jerusalem, top Trump administration officials attended events linked to the inauguration of the embassy.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that it was a U.S. “national security priority” to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Trump’s decision to go forward with a campaign promise to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was welcomed by Israel and condemned by the Palestinians. Previous presidents had signed a waiver postponing the move, citing national security.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cut ties with the Trump administration and declared it unfit to remain in its role as the sole mediator in peace talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s “bold decision” in upending decades of U.S. policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Although Trump has said his declaration does not set the final borders of the city, his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has been perceived by both Israel and the Palestinians as taking Israel’s side in the most sensitive issue in their conflict.

Only two countries, Guatemala and Paraguay, have said they will follow suit. Most of the world maintains embassies in Tel Aviv, saying the Jerusalem issue must first be resolved.

In a reflection of the deep sensitivities, dozens of countries — including Britain, France and Germany — skipped a celebration Sunday night at the Israeli Foreign Ministry. (SD-Agencies)

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