Tibi: "Events will continue to expand as long as there is no agreement"; Eldad: May there be more Israeli victories for them to mourn.
Arab Knesset members actively participated in Naksa Day demonstrations on Sunday, much to the consternation of right-wing MKs.
MK Ahmed Tibi (UAL-Ta’al) said that he joined the rally for a Palestinian state in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, and another one Sunday at “Nablus Gate in Al-Quds” on the anniversary of the Palestinian “Naksa,” or “setback” in the 1967 Six Day War.
“For 44 years, we haven’t forgotten the desire and the aspiration of the Palestinian people to break free of the occupation,” Tibi said. “These events express the will of the people, and they will continue to expand as long as there is no agreement.”
Tibi added: “Whoever refuses to negotiate on ‘67 lines, will have to discuss ‘48 borders. You can’t say you want two states, but really want one state,” he said in reference to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
The UAL-Ta’al MK also said that Majdal Shams and Kuneitra are “occupied Syrian land,” and therefore Syrians crossing into those towns are not crossing international borders.
“Syrian citizens have the right to try to return,” Tibi said, adding that “the prime minister gave an order for mass murder. So what if they cross [into Israel]? They did that a few weeks ago, and nothing happened. Why kill people?”
Other Arab MKs, including Jamal Zahalka and Haneen Zoabi of Balad, participated in demonstrations through the country.
MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) said that Arab MKs’ participation in Naksa Day rallies are “further proof that they identify with all their hearts with Israel’s enemies, who were defeated on this day.
“I hope that they will have many more days like today, in which they mourn the Arab fall, and that they will have the privilege of seeing with their own eyes many more Israeli victories,” Eldad added.
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Majdal Shams locals encourage border breach, but several say Assad trying to divert attention locally, globally from deadly Syrian crackdown.
Hundreds of Majdal Shams residents gathered on Sunday in the Golan Heights village to take in the cross-border cat-and-mouse game between Palestinian-Syrian protesters and IDF troops.
Gawkers gathered on their balconies, on neighbors’ rooftops and in half-finished multi-story homes to watch the confrontation unfold at the famed Shouting Hill on the Syrian border.
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| Druze citizens of Israel |
Like sideline cheerleaders, they yelled words of encouragement across the border fence, occasionally muttering “Allah Akbar” when a wave of marchers charged the barbed-wire fence. Young children waved Syrian and Palestinian flags.
In Majdal Shams, the vaunted “Arab Street” is difficult to gauge. One person says black, another says white, each with compelling conviction and each swearing his is the majority opinion.
“Everyone here supports what happened today,” said Tahrir Fakhereddin, a 30-year-old television cameraman and a member of one of the village’s most prominent families. “Maybe some people are sad to see bloodshed, but everyone supports the border breach.”
“Nobody here supports this – at least not the majority,” said another resident, requesting anonymity. “If they’re trying to get back into Palestine, what are they doing here? This is Syria.”
The Druse of Majdal Shams don’t often speak with a single voice, but when threatened they instinctively close ranks. At one point on Sunday evening, several onlookers (some said they were goaded by the Syrian protesters) hurled stones from a rooftop at soldiers arrayed at the fence.
The troops responded with tear gas, which wafted toward the assembled spectatorsabove, including a Druse religious sheikh. Cries rang out – “the sheikh!” – and residents from across the village streamed out of their homes to Shouting Hill.
A tense standoff ensued, with riot police emerging seemingly out of nowhere to urge restraint. Calm seemed to be restored, at least temporarily.
Off the record, many residents said they believe the Syrian regime was behind the border protest, as it had been last month on “Nakba Day.” It’s no secret that one can’t get anywhere near the border fence without Syrian army permission.
Several locals said Syrian President Bashar Assad was cynically exploiting the Palestinian cause to divert attention locally and globally from his deadly crackdown on a now 11-week-old uprising.
When the conversation turns to the Syrian leader, Fakhereddin again became evasive. “I’m against Assad,” he said, before qualifying himself. “I’m not against Assad, but against the destruction he’s causing. He’s killing people who are trying to achieve their rights.”
On one point, Fakhereddin is crystal clear. “I’m against Assad using Palestinians. If he sent them to do this I’m completely against it. I’m in favor of their rights, but I’m against using them as jokers in a card game.”
