Panama rejects

In the days leading up to President Juan Carlos Varela’s visit to Israel, 55 Palestinians were killed following demonstrations against the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

Monday May 14th 2018 the government of Panama issued a statement saying that they rejected  the use of "lethal force" by Israel in the Gaza Strip. The statement comes just days before the Panamanian president will travel to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

The statement read "the Government of the Republic of Panama calls for the cessation of confrontation and the non-use of lethal force in Gaza in the control of public protests," it continued,

"We regret the deaths aroused and we hope that the political and diplomatic decisions taken by some countries do not escalate violence in the region." 

Monday brought what La Prensa noted at the "the deadliest day of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the 2014 war in the Gaza Strip". The death of 55 Palestinians on the boarder came after the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem, a move that sources call one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial pledges. 

Netanyahu defended the use of force via twitter "every country has an obligation to defend its territory," he said.