June 7, 2011 - RT.com

“The Palestinians have already recognized Israel and Palestinians all agree now on a two-state solution. It’s Israel that does not recognize Palestine. Israel is the only country in the world that is a member of the United Nations that does not have a constitution and did not declare up to now its borders, because it continues to expand and continues to annex other peoples’ land. In the process they have created this long military occupation which has become now a system of segregation and Apartheid,” - Mustafa Barghouti

“And for the first time in the history of Israel and Palestine, Palestinian refugees are actually trying to get inside, non-violently, and to remind the world that they still exist,” - Noa Levy

Israeli troops are bracing themselves for more border violence as reports suggest over 200 demonstrators have gathered on Monday to continue the protests. It follows a day of deadly clashes with pro-Palestinian protesters on the Syrian frontier

­Hundreds of Palestinians have gathered on Sunday on Syria’s border with Israel..

Israeli security forces have opened fire at pro-Palestinian protesters. State-run Syrian television reports at least 20 protesters killed and over 200 others wounded.

Palestinian democracy activist Mustafa Barghouti, told RT that Tel Aviv’s blame of the Syrian regime for instigating the violence has no grounds, as Israel is the only aggressor in the conflict.

“When you call it border violence, you have to say “Israeli border” violence, because it’s only one-side practiced violence and that is the Israeli side, which shot peaceful, non-violent demonstrators who were peacefully demonstrating demanding the end of 44 year-old occupation,” he said.

“The Palestinians have already recognized Israel and Palestinians all agree now on a two-state solution. It’s Israel that does not recognize Palestine. Israel is the only country in the world that is a member of the United Nations that does not have a constitution and did not declare up to now its borders, because it continues to expand and continues to annex other peoples’ land. In the process they have created this long military occupation which has become now a system of segregation and Apartheid,” he added.

The US and Israel have accused Syria of instigating violence on the border with Israel to deflect attention from problems at home. But Noa Levy, a human rights activist, has other views on the situation.

She claims these protesters were not pro-Palestinian Syrians, but were actually Palestinian refugees who had been in Syria since 1948 without any civil rights but with the hope of returning home one day.

“I surely hope that some Syrians support the Palestinians,” she said. “But from what I know, these are Palestinian refugees.”

Noa Levy believes that people should see things in context, and recognize that what is happening now is that Israel has prevented Palestinian refugees from returning home for over 60 years.

“And for the first time in the history of Israel and Palestine, Palestinian refugees are actually trying to get inside, non-violently, and to remind the world that they still exist,” she said.

“Before they kept quiet, they didn’t do anything because they were afraid of the regime in Syria,” Noa continued. “But since now the regime in Syria is getting weaker and weaker, and demonstrators protest all over Syria, it’s also easier for the Palestinians, who are refugees, who never gave up the wish, to get back to their own homeland, which is Israel.”

“They make use of the weakness of Assad’s regime in order to demonstrate and try to break the border and get inside Israel,” she added.

And in such a context blaming Assad becomes quite ridiculous.

(Original Link)