Jerusalem: Trump’s move recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital has invited protests from thousands of Palestinians who took to streets in protest of the US’s decision which has now sparked tensions among all the Arab nations including Palestine.
After the decision was made, Palestinians have reportedly clashed with Israel’s military forces deployed in various cities on Thursday. Thousands of Palestinian protesters had gathered at Ramallah’s Al Manara square and moved ahead towards El Bireh, where they clashed with the Israeli troops who retorted firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the protestors.
A local health authority in the West Bank reported nearly 50 Palestinians were injured during the protests, while 16 of them were rushed to a hospital.
Reporting from Ramallah, Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid, said that “several hours of quite a vigorous confrontation between the youth and the Israeli army” the clashes started dissipating.
Protests were held throughout Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem and Jericho in the West Bank, according to Anadolu news agency, as well as in East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
According to Palestinian New sources, nearly four Palestinians were injured in Gaza after Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition at dozens of demonstrators who have gathered at Wafa the east of Khan Younes.
Trump’s move of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is now believed as a “dangerous escalation” by the world leaders who also infer this decision as an end to peace negotiations between the two countries.
The years-long battle over Jerusalem which is currently under Israel’s authority is believed cannot be divided while Palestinian’s want Jerusalem as their future capital city.
Federica Mogherini, the European Union for foreign affairs representative has told Trump’s “announcement has the potential to send us backwards to even darker times than the ones we are already living in.”
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya while addressing his speech in Gaza on Thursday said this Trump’s has “killed” the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and that this is presumed as a “war declaration against Palestinians” calling for a new Intifada, or uprising.
He said, “This decision has killed the peace process, has killed the Oslo [accord], has killed the settlement process.”
Adding that “The US decision is an aggression, a declaration of war on us, on the best Muslim and Christian shrines in the heart of Palestine, Jerusalem. We should work on launching an Intifada in the face of the Zionist enemy.”
Three days of protests was announced by the Palestinians and the closure of local schools and stores after Trump’s decision.
Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett, reporting from East Jerusalem on Thursday, said that Palestinian’s did carry out a protest outside the Damascus Gate, the main entrance to the Old City.
“There has been a good deal of anger and just disbelief at what has happened overnight coming out of the White House,” he said adding that the Israel forces made efforts to confiscate the Palestinian flags waved by the protestors.
In Ramallah, Al Jazeera’s Abdel-Hamid said “another round of confrontations” between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers was expected on Friday.
“We expect more scenes [of] violence and unrest across the entire occupied West Bank,” she said.
Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian National Initiative secretary-general on Thursday speaking to Al Jazeera told that Trump was “joining Israel in the war crimes and in confirming the annexation of the occupied Palestinian Territories”.
“I hope that the Palestinian Authority will not accept to meet with this American team any more,” he said.
“Israel decided it wants everything. They want everything? Fine. We will also fight for everything,” he said.
“We might be talking about a popular wide uprising but non-violent one, similar to the first Intifada. That’s what we need. Israelis should see the Palestinian resistance everywhere.”