Palestinians to Limit ‘Great March’ Protests In 2020

A Palestinian organization representing terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip disclosed that Friday’s 27 Dec. 2019 demonstration at the border fence with Israel will be the last in a series of weekly protests since March 2018. The “Great March of Return” demonstrations - falsely dubbed as  "peaceful resistance" - have been viewed as an effort to revive hostility against the Jewish state.  Some thirty thousand Palestinians participated in the first protest that took place on 30 March 2018, with thousands taking part each Friday since at the Israel/Gaza border. Groups consisting mainly of young men approached the border, rolling burning tires towards the fence to provide smoke screens, and also throwing stones and Molotov cocktails in the direction of Israeli troops. In April 2018, Palestinian began launching kites bearing incendiary devices over the border fence, causing wide-spread damage to property on the Israeli side. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, admitted in a media interview, "when we talk about 'peaceful resistance', we are deceiving the public. This is a peaceful resistance bolstered by a military force and by security agencies, and enjoying tremendous popular support." The weekly demonstrations often turned violent, with upwards of 200 protesters having been killed in clashes with Israeli forces, and thousands more hurt. During one of the protests, an Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper. The umbrella organization, calling itself the Higher National Committee, says that starting in Jan. 2020 the protests will be scaled back to once a month but would also be held on national days. Participation in the Friday demonstrations has lessened in the past few months. (VFI News)

Intercede that changes will come from within the Palestinian society that result in softened hearts, educational and media shifts, and a true desire for good relations with Israel. Pray for Palestinian leaders to be placed into positions who have the wisdom to put an end to terrorist incitement against the Jewish state and who envision the peaceful growth and well-being of the Palestinian people.