Editor's note

Scores of Palestinians were killed at the Gaza border fence yesterday when Israeli security forces fired on them. Many were there to protest the move of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – but Brendan Ciarán Browne argues that that issue is hardly the point. He says that Palestinians have been failed by the international community, which is increasingly focused on teaching them “resilience” while failing to hold Israel account for its actions.

On another front, Israel’s position in the occupied Golan Heights is in the spotlight again after a rocket attack by Iran last week. Abdulaziz Alghashian answers five key questions about one of the most contested areas in the world.

The Arab Spring in 2011 set off a wave of optimism that democracy was on the rise. But while a good few of the world’s autocrats and authoritarians have stood down, died or been thrown out, too few have given way to healthy democracies – and many have been succeeded by equally despotic rulers. Natasha Ezrow gives a rundown of the state of dictatorship around the world.

Andrew Naughtie

International Editor

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The Israeli army launches tear gas at protesters on the border with Gaza. EPA/Luca Piergiovanni

Stop telling Palestinians to be 'resilient' – the rest of the world has failed them

Brendan Ciarán Browne, Trinity College Dublin

International NGOs are promoting a 'resilience agenda' that masks their own failings in Palestine.

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