JERUSALEM: Israel rejected calls for an independent probe on Sunday (Apr 1) after its soldiers killed 16 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more when a major demonstration led to clashes along the border with the Gaza Strip.

Israel's military has faced questions from rights groups over its use of live fire on Friday, the bloodiest day in the conflict since a 2014 war, while Palestinians accused soldiers of firing on protesters posing no threat.

Both UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini have called for an independent investigation.

On Saturday, the United States blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation of the violence, diplomats said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the soldiers for "guarding the country's borders," while Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the protests were not a "Woodstock festival".

Lieberman said calls for an independent investigation were hypocritical and on Sunday repeated his rejection of such a probe.

"There will be no commission of inquiry," he told Israel's public radio. "There will be no such thing here. We shall not cooperate with any commission of inquiry."

Netanyahu also hit back at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his sharp criticism of what he called Israel's "inhumane attack" in Gaza.

"The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately," Netanyahu tweeted.

He has previously labelled Erdogan as someone who "bombs Kurdish villagers".

Erdogan responded later in the day by calling Netanyahu a "terrorist."

On Friday, Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinians who strayed from a main protest camp attended by tens of thousands and approached the heavily fortified fence cutting off the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The military has defended actions of its soldiers and said they opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers.

It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border.

Israel accuses Hamas, the Islamist group that runs Gaza and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, of using the protest as cover to carry out violence.

In addition to the 16 Palestinians killed, more than 1,400 were wounded on Friday, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, the health ministry in Gaza said.

No casualties were reported among Israelis.

The armed wing of Hamas said five of those killed were its members who were participating "in popular events side-by-side with their people".

The Israeli army alleges 10 of the dead had "documented terror backgrounds" in Hamas and other groups and were killed "whilst carrying out acts of terror".

Unverified videos being shared online have fuelled the debate, including one appearing to show a protester running with a tyre being shot while seeming to pose no threat.

Israel's army has issued a statement saying footage is being "edited and fabricated," without referring to specific videos.

Rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticised Israel's use of live fire.

Israel had deployed troop reinforcements along the border, including more than 100 special forces snipers, saying it would prevent attempts to break through the fence.

In Tel Aviv on Sunday, between 200 and 300 leftwing Israeli opposition demonstrators staged a protest outside the offices of Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party to denounce the government's role in the killings.

"The government is doing everything it can to present the Palestinians as the only guilty party whereas it played an important part in the responsibility for what happened," Hagit Ofran of the Peace Now group which opposes Israeli settlement of Palestinian land told AFP.

Peace Now issued a statement condemning what it called the army's "trigger happy" policies under orders from the government.

The Gaza protests, which include tents erected at various areas, are designed to last six weeks, ending around the time the United States moves its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in mid-May.



The embassy move has deeply angered the Palestinians, who see Jerusalem's annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

But while tens of thousands attended Friday's start of the protests, demonstrations have since dwindled.

Several hundred attended on Saturday, while on Sunday dozens were in the area, with low-level clashes occurring.

"I left the hospital today and I came straight back," Hamada Zaza, 18 and with a bloodied bandage on his hand covering what he said was a bullet wound, told AFP.

The protests may however again see large crowds after this coming Friday's main Muslim prayers and for other key dates ahead.

May 14 will mark 70 years since the creation of Israel and is when the United States is expected to open its new Jerusalem embassy.

Palestinians will mark what they call the Nakba, or "catastrophe," the following day.

The Nakba commemorates the more than 700,000 Palestinians who either fled or were expelled from their homes in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.

Gaza's protest is in support of refugees, including those in the Palestinian enclave who want to return to their former homes in what is now Israel.</s>Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel rejected calls for an independent probe on Sunday after its soldiers killed 16 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more when a major demonstration led to clashes along the border with the Gaza Strip.

Israel's military has faced questions from rights groups over its use of live fire on Friday, the bloodiest day in the conflict since a 2014 war, while Palestinians accused soldiers of firing on protesters posing no threat.

Both UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini have called for an independent investigation.

On Saturday, the United States blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation of the violence, diplomats said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the soldiers for "guarding the country's borders," while Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the protests were not a "Woodstock festival".

Lieberman said calls for an independent investigation were hypocritical and on Sunday repeated his rejection of such a probe.

"There will be no commission of inquiry," he told Israel's public radio.

"There will be no such thing here. We shall not cooperate with any commission of inquiry."

Netanyahu also hit back at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his sharp criticism of what he called Israel's "inhumane attack" in Gaza.

"The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately," Netanyahu tweeted.

He has previously labelled Erdogan as someone who "bombs Kurdish villagers".

Erdogan responded later in the day by calling Netanyahu a "terrorist."

On Friday, Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinians who strayed from a main protest camp attended by tens of thousands and approached the heavily fortified fence cutting off the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The military has defended actions of its soldiers and said they opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers.

It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border.

Israel accuses Hamas, the Islamist group that runs Gaza and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, of using the protest as cover to carry out violence.

In addition to the 16 Palestinians killed, more than 1,400 were wounded Friday, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, the health ministry in Gaza said.

No casualties were reported among Israelis.

The armed wing of Hamas said five of those killed were its members who were participating "in popular events side-by-side with their people".

The Israeli army alleges 10 of the dead had "documented terror backgrounds" in Hamas and other groups and were killed "whilst carrying out acts of terror".

Unverified videos being shared online have fuelled the debate, including one appearing to show a protester running with a tyre being shot while seeming to pose no threat.

Israel's army has issued a statement saying footage is being "edited and fabricated," without referring to specific videos.

Rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticised Israel's use of live fire.

Israel had deployed troop reinforcements along the border, including more than 100 special forces snipers, saying it would prevent attempts to break through the fence.

In Tel Aviv on Sunday, between 200 and 300 leftwing Israeli opposition demonstrators staged a protest outside the offices of Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party to denounce the government's role in the killings.

"The government is doing everything it can to present the Palestinians as the only guilty party whereas it played an important part in the responsibility for what happened," Hagit Ofran of the Peace Now group which opposes Israeli settlement of Palestinian land told AFP.

Peace Now issued a statement condemning what it called the army's "trigger happy" policies under orders from the government.

The Gaza protests, which include tents erected at various areas, are designed to last six weeks, ending around the time the United States moves its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in mid-May.

The embassy move has deeply angered the Palestinians, who see Jerusalem's annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

But while tens of thousands attended Friday's start of the protests, demonstrations have since dwindled.

Several hundred attended on Saturday, while on Sunday dozens were in the area, with low-level clashes occurring.

"I left the hospital today and I came straight back," Hamada Zaza, 18 and with a bloodied bandage on his hand covering what he said was a bullet wound, told AFP.

The protests may however again see large crowds after this coming Friday's main Muslim prayers and for other key dates ahead.

May 14 will mark 70 years since the creation of Israel and is when the United States is expected to open its new Jerusalem embassy.

Palestinians will mark what they call the Nakba, or "catastrophe," the following day.

The Nakba commemorates the more than 700,000 Palestinians who either fled or were expelled from their homes in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.

Gaza's protest is in support of refugees, including those in the Palestinian enclave who want to return to their former homes in what is now Israel.</s>Israel on Sunday rejected international calls for an inquiry into the killing of 16 Palestinians by Israeli soldiers along the Gaza border during a mass demonstration on Friday.

“We shall not cooperate with any commission of inquiry,” Avigdor Lieberman told Israel’s public radio, torpedoing entreaties by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini for an independent investigation into the deaths.

In addition to the 16 killed, Palestinian health officials said more than 700 people were injured in Friday’s violence, making it the most deadly day in Gaza since the end of the 2014 war.

On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being "a terrorist" after the Israeli prime minister rejected Ankara's "moral lessons" over deadly clashes in Gaza.

"Hey Netanyahu! You are occupier. And it is as an occupier that are you are on those lands. At the same time, you are a terrorist," Erdogan said in a televised speech in Adana, southern Turkey.

However, Mr Netanyahu rejected Turkish criticism, likening it to an April Fools joke.

"The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately," he wrote on Twitter.</s>Gaza-Israel violence: Netanyahu and Erdogan in war of words

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have traded barbs over deadly clashes on the Gaza border.

Sixteen Palestinians were killed on Friday after Israeli soldiers opened fire on some violent demonstrators.

President Erdogan accused Mr Netanyahu of being “a terrorist” on Sunday.

It came after Mr Netanyahu rejected Ankara’s “moral lessons” and accused Turkey of indiscriminately bombing civilians in its actions abroad.

“The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately,” the Israeli leader said on Twitter.

“Apparently this is how they mark April 1 in Ankara,” he added, in reference to April’s Fools Day.

He has previously called Mr Erdogan someone who “bombs Kurdish villagers” in a reference to Turkey’s military operations in the Afrin area of Syria.

Mr Erdogan had earlier labelled the Israeli response on Friday an “inhumane attack”.

“Hey Netanyahu! You are occupier. And it is as an occupier that are you are on those lands. At the same time, you are a terrorist,” Mr Erdogan said in a televised address on Sunday.

The escalating war of words comes amid growing international criticism of the Israeli military response.

Clashes broke out after thousands of Palestinians marched to the border at the start of a six-week protest, dubbed the Great March of Return.

The demonstration comes ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel and the exodus of many Arabs – which Palestinians refer to as the “Nakba” (Catastrophe).

Although most protesters stayed in the encampments, some groups of youths ignored organisers’ calls to stay away from the fence and headed closer to Israeli positions.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said troops fired “towards the main instigators” during rioting in which petrol bombs and stones were thrown.

Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force in their response, with leader Mahmoud Abbas saying Israel bore “full responsibility” for the bloodshed.

With 16 fatalities, Friday was the single deadliest day in the Israel-Palestine conflict since the 2014 Gaza war.

The UN says hundreds more were injured.

Israeli military Gen Ronen Manelis told journalists on Saturday that Hamas – the militant group that controls Gaza – was using protests as a cover for launching attacks on Israel.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, also blamed the bloodshed on the militant group.

The country has rejected calls from international leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, for an independent investigation into the violence. BBC News</s>Ankara: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday of being “a terrorist” after the Israeli prime minister rejected Ankara’s “moral lessons” over deadly clashes in Gaza.

“Hey Netanyahu! You are an occupier. And it is as an occupier that are you are on those lands. At the same time, you are a terrorist,” Erdogan said in a televised speech in Adana, southern Turkey.

“What you do to the oppressed Palestinians will be part of history and we will never forget it,” he said, adding: “The Israeli people are uncomfortable with what you’re doing.

“We are not guilty of any act of occupation.”

The comments came after Israeli soldiers killed 16 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more on Friday when a major demonstration led to clashes along the border with the Gaza Strip.

Erdogan condemned Israel over its “inhumane attack”, prompting a sharp response from Netanyahu.

“The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately,” Netanyahu tweeted.

Referring to April Fool’s Day, he added: “Apparently this is how they mark April 1 in Ankara.”

Netanyahu has previously labelled Erdogan as someone who “bombs Kurdish villagers”.

Israel has defended its soldiers’ actions after they opened fire on Palestinians who strayed from a main protest camp attended by tens of thousands and approached the heavily fortified fence cutting off the Gaza Strip.</s>Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday of being “a terrorist” after the Israeli prime minister rejected Ankara’s “moral lessons” over deadly clashes in Gaza.

 “Hey Netanyahu! You are occupier. And it is as an occupier that are you are on those lands. At the same time, you are a terrorist,” Erdogan said in a televised speech in Adana, southern Turkey.—Agencies</s>Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a blistering attack on Benjamin Netanyahu, calling his Israeli counterpart the “leader of a terrorist state” following the deadly shooting of protesters in Gaza.

Erdogan made the comments at his party’s congress in southern Turkey. Addressing the event, the president slammed Netanyahu’s criticism of Turkey’s military operation in Syria. “I do not need to tell the world how cruel the Israeli army is. We can see what this terror state is doing by looking at the situation in Gaza and Jerusalem,” Erdogan said, according to the Daily Sabah.

"Israel has carried out a massacre in Gaza and Netanyahu is a terrorist. We will continue to expose Israeli terror all the time and on all platforms,” he added.

Erdogan’s remarks are just the latest in a rapidly escalating war of words between the two nations. Earlier this week, Netanyahu suggested that Erdogan was playing an April Fool’s Day prank when his spokesman described Friday’s killing of protesters in Gaza as “inhumane.”

More than 1,400 people were injured and 17 were killed when the Israeli military opened fire on Palestinian protesters on the border between Gaza and Israel Friday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also used rubber bullets and tear gas on the demonstrators.

Writing on Twitter, Netanyahu described Israeli forces as “the most moral army in the world” and accused the Turkish military of bombing civilians. “The most moral army in the world will not be lectured by those who have indiscriminately bombed civilian populations for years,” Netanyahu said. “Apparently this is how April Fool’s Day is celebrated in Ankara.”

READ MORE: Netanyahu says Turkey in no position to lecture ‘world’s most moral army’ over violent Gaza clashes

Netanyahu’s tweet came in response to Ankara’s criticism of the IDF’s use of lethal force on the Gaza protesters which it described as a “disproportionate.” In a statement following the clashes it demanded that Tel Aviv “immediately stop resorting to force, which further exacerbates the tension in the region.”

Like this story? Share it with a friend!</s>Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a blistering attack on Benjamin Netanyahu, calling his Israeli counterpart the "leader of a terrorist state" following the deadly shooting of protesters in Gaza.Erdogan made the comments at his party's congress in southern Turkey. Addressing the event, the president slammed Netanyahu's criticism of Turkey's military operation in Syria. "I do not need to tell the world how cruel the Israeli army is. We can see what this terror state is doing by looking at the situation in Gaza and Jerusalem," Erdogan said, according to the Daily Sabah."Israel has carried out a massacre in Gaza and Netanyahu is a terrorist. We will continue to expose Israeli terror all the time and on all platforms," he added.Erdogan's remarks are just the latest in a rapidly escalating war of words between the two nations. Earlier this week, Netanyahu suggested that Erdogan was playing an April Fool's Day prank when his spokesman described Friday's killing of protesters in Gaza as "inhumane."Writing on Twitter, Netanyahu described Israeli forces as "the most moral army in the world" and accused the Turkish military of bombing civilians. "The most moral army in the world will not be lectured by those who have indiscriminately bombed civilian populations for years," Netanyahu said. "Apparently this is how April Fool's Day is celebrated in Ankara."Netanyahu's tweet came in response to Ankara's criticism of the IDF's use of lethal force on the Gaza protesters which it described as a "disproportionate." In a statement following the clashes it demanded that Tel Aviv "immediately stop resorting to force, which further exacerbates the tension in the region."The suppression of the largely unarmed protests attracted the ire of Turkey. On Friday, Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, condemned the IDF's use of force against protesters in the strongest terms.In a statement, Kalin blasted "Israel's attack on defenseless Palestinian civilians who attended the peaceful demonstrations in Gaza." He added that "systematic violence against the Palestinian people has to end immediately."Turkey's Foreign Ministry also criticized the IDF's conduct, saying it was deeply worried about the Israelis' "disproportionate use of force" and "casualties and injuries resulting from the interventions of the Israeli security force." It also demanded that Tel Aviv "immediately stop resorting to force, which further exacerbates the tension in the region."Aside from Turkey, Egypt and Jordan also denounced what they considered to be the "disproportionate force" used by Israel against the largely unarmed protesters. Russia has also joined the criticism, describing the coercive suppression of protests as an "indiscriminate use of force against civilians."</s>Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday of being “a terrorist” after the Israeli prime minister rejected Ankara’s “moral lessons” over deadly clashes in Gaza.

“Hey Netanyahu! You are an occupier. And it is as an occupier that are you are on those lands. At the same time, you are a terrorist,” Erdogan said in a televised speech in Adana, southern Turkey.

“What you do to the oppressed Palestinians will be part of history and we will never forget it,” he said, adding: “The Israeli people are uncomfortable with what you’re doing.

“We are not guilty of any act of occupation.”

The comments came after Israeli soldiers killed 16 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more on Friday when a major demonstration led to clashes along the border with the Gaza Strip.

Erdogan condemned Israel over its “inhumane attack”, prompting a sharp response from Netanyahu.

“The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately,” Netanyahu tweeted.

Referring to April Fool’s Day, he added: “Apparently this is how they mark April 1 in Ankara.”

Netanyahu has previously labelled Erdogan as someone who “bombs Kurdish villagers”.

Israel has defended its soldiers’ actions after they opened fire on Palestinians who strayed from a main protest camp attended by tens of thousands and approached the heavily fortified fence cutting off the Gaza Strip.

The post Erdogan calls Netanyahu ‘terrorist’ over Gaza deaths appeared first on Vanguard News.

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This post was syndicated from Vanguard News. Click here to read the full text on the original website.</s>Turkey’s president on Sunday criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his remarks targeting Turkey’s ongoing operation in Afrin, Syria.

“He says our soldiers are oppressing people in Afrin. Netanyahu, you are very weak, very poor,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan’s remarks came after at least 17 Gazans were killed and hundreds injured on Friday when Israeli forces opened fire on protesters marking “Land Day.”

Calling the Israeli leader “an occupier” in Palestine, Erdogan said Netanyahu has no right to criticize Turkey.

“You are also a terrorist. History is recording what you have done to all those oppressed Palestinians,” Erdogan said, adding that he believes Israelis too are disturbed by Netanyahu’s misdeeds.

Friday’s rallies were the start of a six-week protest that culminates on May 15, the day the Palestinians call “Nakba,” or the Catastrophe, when Israel was founded.

The demonstrators are demanding that Palestinian refugees be allowed the right of return to towns and villages which their families fled from or were driven out of when the state of Israel was created in 1948.
The Israeli Government rejects calls for an inquiry, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likening criticism by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to an April Fool's Day joke.