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Palestinian analysts in Gaza and West Bank warned that changing the peaceful message of the rallies in Gaza to a violent one would harm the mission, especially after more than 15 Palestinians were killed and thousands injured since Friday.
Organized by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the six-week march close to the border with Israel aims at sending a message of determination to find a real and practical solution to end their daily suffering.
On Friday, Gaza Health Ministry officials announced that 15 Palestinians were killed and 1,416 injured in the confrontations between thousands of Palestinians, who tried to approach the fence of the border, and the Israeli army forces.
Over the past few weeks, leaders of various factions, including Islamic Hamas movement and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as leaders of political groups, rights organizations, women and children associations, agreed to prepare for a march and called it the "Great March of Return."
They all agreed that the march is peaceful and aims at sending a message of peace to Israel and to the world that the Palestinians are seeking for their rights of return and an end to the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.
They agreed to keep a 700-meter distance away from the border with Israel.
"What happened on Friday, Saturday and Sunday contradicts with what has been agreed upon among all factions, powers and other participants," said Ashraf Jom'aa, a member of the Palestinian Parliament.
"Israel is unfortunately using this fact to topple the major peaceful goals of the march," Jom'aa added.
"A human security belt must be put in place to prevent any breach of what has been agreed upon regarding the 700-meter distance ... in order to protect the lives of our people," Jom'aa said.
On Saturday, Hamas armed wing al-Qassam Brigades announced that five of the 15 Palestinians killed Friday are military members of the group and were killed during the popular clashes near the fence with the Israeli soldiers.
Talal Oukal, a Gaza-based political analyst, told Xinhua that "So far, the Great March of Return is successful, because it took the Gaza Strip out from the circle of armed confrontations that we used to have over the past ten years."
"These days, the Gaza Strip is strongly clashing with the Israeli occupation using peaceful means, therefore I believe that this is very important to convey a correct message to the world," said Oukal, warning that any mistake of militarizing the march would certainly cause a severe hardship again to the Palestinians and their just cause.
Before the march kicked off, the situation in Gaza deteriorated badly due to the consequences of the Israeli blockade and of an internal Palestinian division. Leaders of factions warned of "a huge explosion that blows up to Israel's face" if situation worsens.
"We are standing these days before achieving a strategic goal and we are waiting for harvesting the fruits of the peaceful marches," Oukal said.
The organizers of the march decided to start the activity on March 30, which is the Palestinian Land Day anniversary, and carry on with various kinds of peaceful and popular activities until May 15, the 70 year anniversary of the Nakba Day, or the Catastrophe, the date Israel was declared as a state.
Palestinian observers believe that the Palestinian factions, including Hamas movement that controls Gaza, are expected to continue the protests at the borderline area near the fence to keep the Gaza issue at the top of the headlines. They said this method is more effective than rocket fire and attacks through tunnels.
Tawfeeq Abu Showmar, another Gaza-based political analyst specialized in Palestinian refugees affairs said "no one single faction is leading it or sponsoring it like before, but all factions and all sectors of Gaza Strip communities are joining."
Gaza rights groups, who are also joining the rallies, are helping through its international contacts with other worldwide rights groups to show that Israel is using excessive force of targeting civilian demonstrators with heavy live ammunition, and stress that the message of the marches is "peaceful."
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
