By the Gazette Editorial Board The Great March of Return, which has so far cost the Palestinians more than 60 lives and thousands of casualties in wounded adults and children, is another popular Palestinian outcry which speaks volumes of a people determined to regain their land. The protests at the Gaza border that have been going on for weeks have served as a wake-up call to the Arabs and the international community. The March has revived the Arabs' pivotal cause that has been overshadowed in the past few years by regional unrest, internal wars and the spread of terror. Throughout their struggle against Israel, the Palestinian people have been able to develop different ways to highlight their plight, which political talks and official channels had failed to resolve. It is hardship which toughens people and makes them willing to make sacrifices in order to relieve pain and suffering. Despite Israel's use of excessive force against the peaceful protesters and US success in blocking a UN motion calling for an investigation into Israel's killing of protesters, the effect of the March of Return is important. The protests have brought the Palestinian issue under the international spotlight and have drawn world attention to Israel's violence and its continued blockade of Gaza. The Gazans, who have been supported by similar protests in the West Bank and Haifa as well, simply wished to break the physical and psychological Israeli siege in a metaphorical way. They have challenged Israel's policy of separation with which it cut Gaza from the rest of the Palestinian territory. The several-week-long March has been an outcry against another Israeli attempt to lay hands on more Palestinian soil. Trump's decision to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, thereby taking Jerusalem off the table in any future peace negotiations, has also been a catalyst in organising the protests. The Palestinians are, therefore, advocating the unity of the land and their right to return to the homeland from which they were forced out. The timing of the March of Return was not coincidental. It was meant to send a strong message to those celebrating the usurpation of Jerusalem. It is at the border fence in Gaza – a highly symbolic place – where the protesters called for freedom and expressed the unity of the Palestinian people regarding their cause. The Palestinian protesters have surpassed their leaders and sent a strong message to Fateh and Hamas saying it was time for them to overcome their differences to do something about the suffering of their people. The March is still on and it might not result in specific measures, but the vehemence it has created should open the way for a breakthrough. The March is a good opportunity for the Palestinian leadership and the Arab countries to think of new visions that are commensurate with such a deep Palestinian national awareness and strong will.
