Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
At least 52 people are dead and around 1,200 were wounded, according to Palestinian health officials, after Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians who are protesting the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinians are demonstrating on the Gaza border as Israel celebrates the opening of the controversial embassy Monday. The reported death toll would make this the deadliest day in Gaza since the cross-border war between Hamas rulers and Israel in 2014. The relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv has infuriated Palestinians who seek east Jerusalem as a future capital. Meanwhile, Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said the U.S. has given up its role as a mediator in the Middle East with the embassy move. “The United States has chosen to be a part of the problem rather than the solution with its latest step and has lost its mediating role in the peace process,” he said.