It's almost like Israel is ashamed that its place as the most vile regime in the middle east has been challenged by Assad of Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Today was the 70th anniversary of the destitution of many Palestinian people and in Gaza they took part in an unarmed protest. They were met with bullets and massacre.

This has happened the past few weeks and shows that the Israeli regime is no different to Assad - they are just faced with less people capable of even protesting peacefully.

But Israel has a right to defend its borders

There is no border between Gaza and Israel. Gaza is an open air prison inside Israel. If Israel considered the location of the fence as a border, it would lose all rights over Gaza's access to the sea and it cannot allow this to happen.

Israel has controlled access in and out of Gaza for over a decade. It controls what and who can enter and leave. Before this could be circumvented on a small scale through tunnels, but those have mostly been eradicated by the compliant Egyptian regime (which made them promises in return for support in coup against democratically elected president).

The fence with Gaza in many places is just mounds of dirt - the Israelis expect in many places for Gazans to give up access to up to half a mile of land from the fence (with Gaza being only about 6 miles deep).

But Khamas!

Those shot were unarmed protestors. Civilians from Gaza. Nobody as firing from Gaza. They were not shielding any weaponry and were not used as human shields. Many were refugees from towns just across the location of the fence.

Some were even journalists. The photo previously used for this piece was taken at the Great Return March on 4 May 2018. At the event on 14 May 2018 he was himself shot.

They shouldn't do this!

Then what should they? Armed resistance is opposed by Israel's supporters. Personal sanctions by way of BDS are opposed. Asking for the UN to take action is opposed. Now standing unarmed in protest is to much to bear.

Trump

The media has mostly been framing today's massacre against the US embassy move. While there is a link, the Great Return March is not about the embassy and this narrative ignores the murders of unarmed protestors carried out over the past few weeks in similar circumstances.

The Palestinians demand their rights and on the lead up to the 70th anniversary of their disempowerment they have been carrying out unarmed protest at their disenfranchisement.

Even this has been too much for the murderous regime to bear. Like Bahrain, Like Syria.