Gaza violence amid rising tensions in the Middle East

It's 70 years since the creation of the state of Israel and for the first time, the United States has recognized as Jerusalem, as Israel's capital. That marks a break from America's previous role as mediator in the Middle East trying to coax the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table within the framework of the Oslo Peace Accords. Now in the single deadliest day in Gaza for years, 52 Palestinians have been killed after weeks of border protests by Gazans demanding the right to return to ancestral homes. The violence comes amid a backdrop in the region of months of escalating clashes between Israel and Iran in Syria, and President Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement. Robert Malley is a former special assistant to President Obama, and was the lead senior White House negotiator for the Iran nuclear agreement, Senior Adviser to the President for the Counter-ISIL Campaign. He also served as Special Assistant to President Clinton for Arab-Israeli affairs and Director for Near East and South Asian affairs at the National Security Council. He is now president of the International Crisis Group. Fares Akram is the AP's correspondent in Gaza.