Palestinians Demonstrate on Golan Heights

On Sunday, hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators gathered on a hilltop in the Majdal Shams region of Syria to mark the beginning of a march to Golan to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the 1967 defeat in the Middle East War.

The war resulted in the Israeli capture of the Golan Heights, the West Bank and the Gaza strip, which are all claimed by the Palestinian state.
Syrian reports claim that 23 people were killed and hundreds wounded in Sunday’s protests when Israeli troops fired at the Palestinian crowd.

The official news agency SANA reported that the death toll included a woman and a child, adding that 350 people suffered gunshot wounds.
Israeli broadcaster, Channel 1 said most protesters had left as the night approached, adding that they dispersed as the cold air took hold.

Israeli authorities have accused Syrian President Bashar-Al-Assad of using the protests as a way to divert international attention from his regime’s suppression of popular revolt against his rule.

Syrian state television quoted a hospital director as saying that 18 protesters were killed and some 277 wounded by direct gunfire from the Israeli army.

Israeli military spokesman, Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai, confirmed that troops had opened fire but could not confirm any casualties.

Mark Regev, spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.