Israel rejects calls for Gaza inquiry as Netanyahu likens criticism to an April Fools

Israel on Sunday rejected international calls for an inquiry into the killing of 16 Palestinians by Israeli soldiers along the Gaza border during a mass demonstration on Friday. “We shall not cooperate with any commission of inquiry,” Avigdor Lieberman told Israel’s public radio, torpedoing entreaties by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini for an independent investigation into the deaths.  In addition to the 16 killed, Palestinian health officials said more than 700 people were injured in Friday’s violence, making it the most deadly day in Gaza since the end of the 2014 war. On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being "a terrorist" after the Israeli prime minister rejected Ankara's "moral lessons" over deadly clashes in Gaza. "Hey Netanyahu! You are occupier. And it is as an occupier that are you are on those lands. At the same time, you are a terrorist," Erdogan said in a televised speech in Adana, southern Turkey. However, Mr Netanyahu rejected Turkish criticism, likening it to an April Fools joke.  "The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately," he wrote on Twitter. He added: "Apparently this is how they mark April 1 in Ankara." Close to 30,000 Palestinians demonstrated along the heavily militarised Israeli-Gaza border on Friday after midday prayers. Israeli troops opened fire on the crowds with live ammunition and rubber-coated steel pellets. Israeli military drones dropped tear gas on demonstrators.  Video from the scene appears to show people some unarmed protesters being by shot. Teargas canisters fired by Israeli troops fall down on Palestinians during a demonstration near the Gaza Strip border Credit: AP Photo/Khalil Hamra The Israeli military said videos incomplete, edited or "completely fabricated” videos were deliberately released by Gaza’s leadership Hamas group. Hamas is group sworn to Israel’s destruction. Human rights groups and high-level international figures criticised Israel’s military for using too much force on demonstrators. But Mr Netanyahu praised the Israeli soldiers involved for “guarding the country’s borders.” Mr Lieberman echoed his comments, saying the troops “did what had to be done.” "I think that all of our troops deserve a commendation, and there won't be any inquiry,” Mr Lieberman told Israeli Army Radio on Sunday. He said that even if there were a UN inquiry, Israel would not participate. Mr Lieberman, who is known for his hawkish views, brushed off claims that Israeli troops were heavy-handed, saying the protests were not a “Woodstock festival.” The protests, which were backed led by Hamas, were touted as the start of a six-week-long demonstration against the decade-long blockade of Gaza, and to demand the right of return of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in what is today Israel.  The protests are set to culminate in a larger march on May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding, mourned by Palestinians as “the Catastrophe” that led to hundreds of thousands of Arabs being displaced in the 1948 war over Israel's creation. According to the UN’s Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) 1.3 million of Gaza’s 1.9 residents are Palestine refugees or descendants of people displaced in 1948. Under blockade by Israel and Egypt since 2007, residents do not have enough electricity, clean water or medical supplies. Building materials are hard to come by, as is anything that might have a dual use for militants, which means much of the damage wrought in the 2014 war with Israel has not been repaired. Unemployment is at least 42 per cent for women and 22 per cent for men, and UNRWA says at least 30 per cent of the population needs some kind of psychological support.

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