Al Jazeera News :
Thousands of people are protesting in the occupied Palestinian territories and across the world over the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
More than a week after US President Donald Trump announced the decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, anger among Palestinians and their supporters continues to grow. After Friday prayers concluded at the Al Aqsa
mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem, hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets to demonstrate but were prevented from entering the Old City by barricades put up by Israelis. Marches also took place to the north in Ramallah and in Bethlehem, where protesters faced off with Israeli soldiers.
In Gaza, Palestinians took the territory’s border with Israel to protest and were met with live fire and tear gas.
Palestinian officials told Al Jazeera that at least 10 people had been injured through smoke inhalation and gunshot wounds. At least one injured youth had suffered a serious wound to his neck, according to Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, who was reporting from the area. Rallies against Trump’s decision also took place in the Indian city of Mumbai, the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, and in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett, reporting from occupied East Jersualem, said a call to action by Palestinian groups and a unified response by Muslim countries had helped to keep the protests going.
“There’s been a pretty loud and unified response that came from the delegates at the Turkey conference on Tuesday, as well as that the Palestinian factions have called for larger scale protests,” he said.
The US announcement attracted strong condemnation from Muslim countries, and the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) declared Jerusalem the capital of Palestine in response at its meeting in Istanbul.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the move. “The truth will win in the end and many countries will certainly recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and also move their embassies,” he said in response to the OIC declaration. Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Bethlehem, said protesters wanted to see “words turned into action”. “They’re growing impatient…and some of the people you speak to do feel at some point Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a man who has dedicated 20 years of his life to the peace process, might bow to international or US pressure.”
Thousands of people are protesting in the occupied Palestinian territories and across the world over the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
More than a week after US President Donald Trump announced the decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, anger among Palestinians and their supporters continues to grow. After Friday prayers concluded at the Al Aqsa
mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem, hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets to demonstrate but were prevented from entering the Old City by barricades put up by Israelis. Marches also took place to the north in Ramallah and in Bethlehem, where protesters faced off with Israeli soldiers.
In Gaza, Palestinians took the territory’s border with Israel to protest and were met with live fire and tear gas.
Palestinian officials told Al Jazeera that at least 10 people had been injured through smoke inhalation and gunshot wounds. At least one injured youth had suffered a serious wound to his neck, according to Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, who was reporting from the area. Rallies against Trump’s decision also took place in the Indian city of Mumbai, the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, and in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett, reporting from occupied East Jersualem, said a call to action by Palestinian groups and a unified response by Muslim countries had helped to keep the protests going.
“There’s been a pretty loud and unified response that came from the delegates at the Turkey conference on Tuesday, as well as that the Palestinian factions have called for larger scale protests,” he said.
The US announcement attracted strong condemnation from Muslim countries, and the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) declared Jerusalem the capital of Palestine in response at its meeting in Istanbul.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the move. “The truth will win in the end and many countries will certainly recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and also move their embassies,” he said in response to the OIC declaration. Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Bethlehem, said protesters wanted to see “words turned into action”. “They’re growing impatient…and some of the people you speak to do feel at some point Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a man who has dedicated 20 years of his life to the peace process, might bow to international or US pressure.”