Pro-Palestinian demonstrations continue around the world, on Friday a protester carrying a Palestinian flag set herself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta.
Police say the protester is in critical condition after a security guard tried to stop her from setting the fire. The guard also suffered burns while trying to save the protester and his condition remains unclear.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum gave some details during a press conference. The protester went to the building, which contains the Israeli consulate and several other businesses, and doused herself with petrol and attempted to commit self-immolation.
“We believe that was an act of extreme political protest.”
Mansour Abbas, head of the Islamist Ra’am party, the first independent Arab majority faction in the Israeli coalition, publicly called on armed Palestinian factions to demilitarise and cooperate with the Palestinian Authority to establish a Palestinian state through non-violent means:
In order to move forward, the Palestinian militant groups need to throw down their arms. They need to work hand in hand with the Palestinian Authority in order to realise a national movement that will aspire for a state of Palestine in a peaceful solution alongside the state of Israel, Abbas told CNN in a rare interview with international media.
He also expressed disapproval of the 7 October actions:
Any action that is taken against innocent people – against women, children, elderly – is inhumane and it goes against the values of Islam as well. We categorically condemn this. This cannot be discussed or cannot be justified because it goes against all human values and religious values as well.
The latest action by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) was to “resumed combat operations” shortly after midnight Eastern Time on Friday, when Israel accused Hamas of violating the truce by firing rockets towards Israeli territory.
Israel also expanded its operations, which have so far been concentrated in northern Gaza. The IDF dropped leaflets on the southern town of Khan Younis, urging its citizens to evacuate.
