Palestinian group calls for 'day of rage' against Trump move on Jerusalem

Last Updated: December 07, 2017 21:00 GMT

RFE/RL

Palestinian factions have called for a "day of rage" on December 8, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital prompted a wave of protests and Palestinian clashes with the Israeli army.

The Islamist group Hamas urged Palestinians to abandon peace efforts and launch a new uprising or "intifada" to protest Trump's move.

On December 7, more than 30 Palestinians reportedly were injured in clashes with the Israeli army in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Protests also broke out in Jordan, Tunisia, Pakistan, and elsewhere.

In the occupied West Bank and Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, medics were quoted as saying that at least 31 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire and rubber bullets. One of them was said to be in critical condition.

Reports said some protesters threw rocks at soldiers and others chanted, "Death to America!"

The Israeli military said an Israeli tank and an aircraft "targeted two terror posts" in the Gaza Strip after rockets were launched at Israel. It said one of the rockets exploded inside southern Israel, while the others fell short.

A militant group in Gaza claimed responsibility for the launches.

The Israeli military said it was reinforcing troops in the West Bank.

Jordanian media reported that students and academics gathered at several universities chanting slogans pointing to the "Arab and Islamic identity" of Jerusalem, which is considered holy by Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

In the Tunisian capital of Tunis and elsewhere in the country, protesters waved the Palestinian flag and posters depicting Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, the German dpa news agency reported.

In Pakistan, dozens of supporters of the banned radical religious group Jamaat-ud-Dawa demonstrated in the northwestern city of Peshawar against the U.S. decision, RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal reported. The protesters burned U.S. and Israeli flags.

In the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, another protest was organized by the group known as Difa-e Pakistan, an umbrella organization of various religious groups.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most sensitive issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinians regard it as the capital of their future state. Israel has annexed East Jerusalem and declared all of the city as its capital, a move never recognized by the international community. Most countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv.

In his announcement, Trump said he would move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move experts say could take three to four years.

He said the decision would "finally acknowledge the obvious – that Jerusalem is Israel's capital" and that he still intends "to do everything in my power to help force" a peace agreement acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians.

U.S. allies from Germany and Saudi Arabia to Britain and the European Union condemned Trump's decision and said it would make negotiating peace in the region more difficult.

Saudi Arabia said it was "irresponsible" and would cause a "drastic regression in the efforts to move the peace process forward."

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel called it an "about-face" that "is already a big problem" and will likely throw "fuel on the fire" and escalate the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed "serious concern" about the U.S. administration's move, warning that it could destabilize the region.

'Reprehensible' Decision

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said the United States can no longer play the role of peace broker in light of what he called Trump's "reprehensible" decision, which he said "undermines all peace efforts."

In Iraq, an Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia that fought alongside Iraqi government forces against Islamic State (IS) militants said Trump's decision "makes it legitimate to strike the American forces in Iraq."

Eight members of the UN Security Council – mostly U.S. allies including Britain, France, Egypt, Italy, and Sweden – called for an emergency meeting on December 8 to discuss the move.

"I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, BBC, dpa, and RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal

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