More than 10,000 Palestinians are marching from Ramallah toward Jerusalem in protest as Israel continues its assault on Gaza. Israel is responding to rocket fire from Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli retaliation has included air attacks and ground troops. Huffpost reports that almost 800 Palestinians have been killed, “many of them civilians.”
The march, associated with Palestinian Authority President Abbas’s Fatah movement, is believed to be the largest peaceful protest movement in Palestine in decades. It is modeled on the success of similar movements that had major impact on world opinion and forced leadership changes in the spring of 2011–a group of protests/uprisings that became known collectively as the “Arab Spring.” The march can be followed on Twitter at #48kMarch. Twitter and other social media tools were considered essential in empowering the disenfranchised during the Arab Spring. Haaretz reports that hundreds of protesters have been injured and four killed by Israeli forces during the protest.
The largest protest in Palestine in decades taking place now from Ramallah to Jerusalem. #FreePalestine #48Kmarch pic.twitter.com/X64PRQZoH9
— Omar Suleiman (@omarsuleiman504) July 24, 2014