The Palestinian Authority called for a general strike on May 14 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Nakba (the Catastrophe), the day in 1948 when some 700,000 Palestinians were forced out of their homes and displaced by Israel. Also on May 14, senior members of the Trump administration gathered in Jerusalem for the opening of the new U.S. embassy, sparking massive nonviolent protests across Palestine. Palestinians claim Jerusalem as the future capital of their independent state, and the U.S. moving the embassy from Tel Aviv ignores Palestinians' right to self-determination.

Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition into a crowd of tens of thousands of Palestinian protesters who gathered in Gaza near the heavily fortified border with Israel. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that Israeli soldiers killed 58 Palestinians, including six children and four officers of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security, injuring 2,771. About ten Palestinian journalists were injured by Israeli fire while covering the Israeli aggression against Palestinian protesters along the Gaza border.

The following day, May 15, over 1,000 Palestine supporters turned out in San Francisco to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nakba. The event, both a demonstration and a commemoration, was held outside the Israeli consulate, and was followed by a march to the Federal Building. Solidarity actions were also held in San José and Santa Cruz.

Palestine: Death Toll 58 in Israeli Military Assault on Gaza Protests | Israel Kills 50+ Palestinians Protesting Nonviolently as U.S. Opens Jerusalem Embassy | Ten Palestinian Journalists Attacked by Israeli Forces | General Strike to Commence on 70th Nakba Day | Report: Ongoing Nakba Must End — Time Has Come for the International Community to Act

San Francisco: Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe) Commemoration and Demonstration in San Francisco | Rally to Commemorate the Day of the Nakba | Protest Ehud Barak - War Criminals Not Welcome in the Bay Area

San José: Emergency Vigil For Gaza -- 70th Anniversary of al-Nakba

Santa Cruz: Great March of Return: 70th Nakba Anniversary

Related Features: 17 Killed by Israeli Soldiers During Land Day Protest in Gaza, Over 1,400 Wounded | Israel Massacres Palestinians as Democrats Congratulate Them