Egypt Forces Clash With Pro-Palestinian Protesters

Egyptian police fired live ammo and tear gas at pro-Palestinian protesters today as violence continued following yesterday's clashes at Israel's borders. More than 350 protesters were injured, one critically, outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo, AP reports. At least 16 people were killed yesterday when Israeli troops opened fire in skirmishes as thousands of protesters marched from Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the Left Bank on the annual Palestinian day of "nakba," or catastrophe, marking Israeli's 1948 independence.

Israel has accused rival nations of supporting the clashes to distract demonstrators from ongoing Mid East unrest in surrounding countries, reports the New York Times. It was the first time Palestinians and their supporters attempted to breach Israel's border from all sides. One of the protesters declared yesterday: "This is war." Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu said the protesters were seeking to destroy Israel, not create a Palestinian state alongside the nation. (More Syria stories.)