Inside Story

Have protesters in Gaza achieved their goal?

At least 250 Palestinians have been killed and thousands of others wounded in a year of protests.

March 30 marks a year since Palestinians began the ‘Great March of Return’ protests at the fence that separates the Gaza Strip from Israel.

Thousands of Palestinians have been gathering at that fence every Friday for afternoon prayers, demanding the right to return to the land from which their families were expelled, during Israel’s founding in 1948. 

Since the protests began, at least 250 people have been killed and thousands of others wounded by Israeli fire. 

The United Nations says more than 120 people have had one or both legs amputated, while UN investigators say Israel has committed war crimes against protesters. 

All this, at a time of heightened tension in the region. So what’s the way forward? 

Presenter: Divya Gopalan

Guests:

Mukhaimer Abu Saada – Professor of political science at Al Azhar University in Gaza

Mitchell Barak – CEO of Keevoon Global Research, adviser to ex-Israeli President Shimon Peres, and speechwriter for former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon

Saleh Hijazi – Deputy regional director for Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International