Israel mends border fence with Syria
Israeli soldiers have fixed the fence along the border with Syria as Tel Aviv puts its forces on high alert in the northern border.
Forces from the Engineering Corps began to mend the fence along Syria’s border on Monday, a day after hundreds of Palestinian refugees living in Syria along with Syrian anti-occupation protesters flooded the area, knocked down the fence and crossed into the Israeli-controlled village of Majdal Shams.
The protesters were marking the 63rd anniversary of the forcible eviction of 700,000 Palestinians from their homeland by Israelis and the occupation of Palestine, which Palestinians call “Nakba Day,” or the day of catastrophe.
Israeli soldiers also wiped nearly 500 Palestinian villages and towns off the map, leaving an estimated total of 4.7 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants dreaming of an eventual return to their ancestral homeland more than six decades later.
It was the first time anyone had breached the border fence, located in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which is flanked by minefields and patrolled by the UN, Israeli and Syrian forces.
At least 12 protesters were killed and 30 others wounded after Israeli troops opened fire on demonstrators, a Press TV correspondent reported.
“They crossed into the village and not even one landmine exploded, even though we’ve learned all of our lives that this place is full of landmines,” said Majdal Shams resident Shefaa Abu Jabal.
The protesters received a hero’s welcome in the village, which was part of Syria until after the Six Day War in 1967, with local residents joining them as they marched towards the main square singing and waving Palestinian flags.
Israel captured the strategic Golan Heights from Syria during the Six Day War and annexed the plateau in 1981 in a move which has not been recognized by the international community.
Following the incident, Israeli army general Benny Gantz ordered Israeli forces to reconstruct the fence quickly and put the Israeli troops on high alert in case of any further tensions in the area.
