A Palestinian hurls stones at Israeli troops during riots on the Gaza border, April 1, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa.

The Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers denounced over the weekend Israel’s security measures against the ongoing Palestinian riots on the Gaza border.

Some 30,000 Palestinians have set up a tent city near the border as part of the “March of Return.” There have been a series of attempts at breaching the security fence that separates the Jewish state from the coastal enclave and several terrorist incidents. Israel has mostly responded with non-lethal means such as tear gas. However, live fire has also been used. Sixteen Palestinians have been killed in the violence, with 10 of them being identified as known terrorist operatives.

According to Hebrew site Mako, at a joint press conference, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi issued harsh criticism of Israel’s measures to contain the riots.

Safadi stated, “We condemn the Israeli aggression against innocent people who have gone out to stand up for their rights and resist the occupation by peaceful means. Peace and security are common values of the entire Arab world, but they can not be achieved through the killing and oppression of the occupation. The path to peace is clear – advance the peace process and achieve a Palestinian state.”

“How can we talk about human rights while the rights of the Palestinians are violated in such a way?” Shoukry stated. “The international community must work for peace.”

Turkey has also weighed in on the ongoing violence, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “terrorist.” Netanyahu shot back, “The most moral army in the world will not accept moral preaching from someone who for years has been bombing a civilian population indiscriminately.”