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Palestinians Vent Their Anger After Trump’s Jerusalem Declaration Palestinians Clash With Israeli Troops to Protest Trump’s Jerusalem Declaration
(about 7 hours later)
JERUSALEM — Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the West Bank and along the border with Gaza on Thursday, as widespread predictions of unrest were realized a day after President Trump took the high-risk move of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.JERUSALEM — Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the West Bank and along the border with Gaza on Thursday, as widespread predictions of unrest were realized a day after President Trump took the high-risk move of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The Israeli military said it was sending additional battalions to the West Bank in response to the protests, which took place at familiar flash points and followed a well-choreographed pattern at times of friction. Injuries were reported. Hundreds of youths clashed with Israeli forces at checkpoints. In Gaza, youths protested along the border fence, rallied in a central Gaza City park and burned tires in a refugee camp. Dozens were injured, at least one seriously.
The Palestinian response appeared to be teetering between a limited wave of protests and a full-blown explosion of violence, as schools were closed, stores were shuttered and the public largely observed a general strike. The mood in the streets of downtown East Jerusalem, where there was a heavy presence of Israeli police, seemed tense and sullen. After nightfall, two rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza. The Israeli military said they had fallen short and landed inside the Palestinian coastal territory.
In Gaza, Ismail Haniya, the leader of Hamas, the Islamic militant group, called for a new intifada, or uprising, and said its armed foot soldiers were on standby for instructions. The Israeli military said it was sending additional battalions to the West Bank in response to the protests.
The Palestinians have undertaken two major uprisings since the late 1990s, leading to hundreds of deaths on both sides but ultimately doing little to advance their cause. Mr. Trump’s decision ignited other protests across the region, from the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon to Tunisia. Hundreds of Jordanians protested outside the United States Embassy in Amman and called for its closing, chanting, “America is the head of the snake.” At a news conference in Baghdad, Moqtada al-Sadr, an influential Iraqi Shiite cleric, called for a unified “Arab Spring” against Israel. Jihadist groups from Somalia to Syria and from Yemen to Afghanistan issued venomous statements about Mr. Trump’s decision.
“Jerusalem has always been the source of victory and the beginning of revolutions and the starting point of uprisings,” Mr. Haniya said. “Trump will regret this decision.” In Palestinian areas, schools were closed, stores were shuttered and the public largely observed a general strike. The mood in the streets of downtown East Jerusalem, where there was a heavy Israeli police presence, was tense and sullen.
In Gaza, Ismail Haniya, the leader of Hamas, the Islamic militant group, called for a new intifada, or uprising, saying, “Trump will regret this decision.”
The Palestinians have undertaken two major uprisings since the late 1990s, leading to hundreds of deaths on both sides, but many Palestinians say they ultimately did little to advance their cause.
Mr. Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem, which upended longstanding American policy and broke with international consensus, continued to draw condemnation from Arab and European leaders.Mr. Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem, which upended longstanding American policy and broke with international consensus, continued to draw condemnation from Arab and European leaders.
The American president said that recognizing Jerusalem as the capital was “the right thing to do” because it acknowledged the reality of the situation in the city. Critics have argued that unilaterally recognizing Israel’s claim to the city prejudged the outcome of any negotiations for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinian aspire for an independent state with East Jerusalem, which has holy sites sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, as its capital.
Critics have argued that unilaterally recognizing Israel’s claim to the city prejudged the outcome of negotiations for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Palestinian aspirations for an independent state with East Jerusalem, which has holy sites sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, as its capital. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, and other officials in the West Bank said the United States had disqualified itself from any mediating role.
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, and other officials in the West Bank said the United States had disqualified itself from any mediating role. Mr. Abbas and the Palestinian officials added that they were weighing their options. Mr. Abbas has repeatedly stated that he does not want a third intifada on his watch. His Fatah party has called for nonviolent protests in the West Bank.
The American secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson, said in Vienna that the United States was still committed to the peace process and that a two-state solution to resolve the conflict was still viable. Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s top foreign policy official, warned that the decision would be damaging to the peace effort.
“All of Israel’s government offices are largely in Jerusalem already, so the U.S. is just recognizing the reality of that,” he said in response to a question while at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. “This does not in any way finalize the status of Jerusalem, that’s still left to the parties to discuss,” he added.
But Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s top foreign policy official, warned that the decision would be damaging to the peace effort.
“President Trump’s announcement on Jerusalem has a very worrying potential impact,” she said. “It has a very fragile context and the announcement has the potential to send us backwards to even darker times than the ones we are already living in.”“President Trump’s announcement on Jerusalem has a very worrying potential impact,” she said. “It has a very fragile context and the announcement has the potential to send us backwards to even darker times than the ones we are already living in.”
In Beirut, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah, called for governments to withdraw their ambassadors from Tel Aviv and take other steps that go beyond making statements.
The American secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson, said in Vienna that the United States was still committed to the peace process and that a two-state solution to resolve the conflict was still viable.
“All of Israel’s government offices are largely in Jerusalem already, so the U.S. is just recognizing the reality of that,” he said in response to a question at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. “This does not in any way finalize the status of Jerusalem, that’s still left to the parties to discuss,” he added.
An important test will come on Friday. Hamas, the dominant force in Gaza, appeared to be competing with the West Bank leadership over loyalty to Jerusalem, and has called for Palestinians to rally and to confront the Israeli forces wherever possible after noon prayers.An important test will come on Friday. Hamas, the dominant force in Gaza, appeared to be competing with the West Bank leadership over loyalty to Jerusalem, and has called for Palestinians to rally and to confront the Israeli forces wherever possible after noon prayers.
Mr. Abbas’s Palestinian Authority and Hamas are engaged in a renewed reconciliation effort after a decade-long schism. In the midst of the turmoil over Jerusalem, the authority’s prime minister, Rami Hamdallah, arrived in Gaza on Thursday to discuss the handover of internal security there, one of the main sticking points that have bedeviled previous attempts to ease tensions.Mr. Abbas’s Palestinian Authority and Hamas are engaged in a renewed reconciliation effort after a decade-long schism. In the midst of the turmoil over Jerusalem, the authority’s prime minister, Rami Hamdallah, arrived in Gaza on Thursday to discuss the handover of internal security there, one of the main sticking points that have bedeviled previous attempts to ease tensions.
Mr. Hamdallah’s government is supposed to have full control of all the ministries by Dec. 10, but has yet to wrest the Interior Ministry, which handles security, from Hamas’s control. Mr. Hamdallah told reporters in Gaza that his side was devoted to reconciliation, “but if we fail, we will rise again to face together the biggest challenge: the Israeli occupation.”
He told reporters in Gaza that his side was devoted to reconciliation, “but if we fail, we will rise again to face together the biggest challenge, the Israeli occupation.” There were few visible signs of celebration among Israelis; for many, Mr. Trump had only affirmed a longstanding reality.
Mr. Abbas has repeatedly stated in the past that he does not want a third intifada on his watch, and the calls from Hamas underscored the abiding internal divisions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the announcement from Washington. “President Trump has inscribed himself in the annals of our capital for all time,” he said at a conference at the Israeli Foreign Ministry. “His name will now be linked to the names of others in the context of the glorious history of Jerusalem and our people.”
As Israelis went about their business in Jerusalem on Thursday, there were few visible signs of celebration; for many, Mr. Trump had only affirmed a longstanding reality. Mr. Netanyahu said Israel was in contact with other countries to persuade them to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, too. “It’s about time,” he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel hailed the announcement from Washington. “President Trump has inscribed himself in the annals of our capital for all time,” he said at a conference at the Israeli Foreign Ministry. “His name will now be linked to the names of others in the context of the glorious history of Jerusalem and our people.” In Gaza, Salwa Helis, 32, took a group of orphans she teaches to the demonstration in the Gaza City park, where they held Palestinian flags and banners against the backdrop of a large poster of Jerusalem, a city that is out of reach for most Gazans.
Mr. Netanyahu said Israel was in contact with other countries to persuade them to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, too. “ It’s about time,” he said.
In cities across the West Bank, Palestinians responded to calls from minarets to protest. Hundreds of youths made their way toward a checkpoint on the edge of Ramallah, a frequent site of clashes. In Gaza, youths protested along the border fence, rallied in a central Gaza City park and burned tires in a refugee camp.
Salwa Helis, 32, took a group of orphans she teaches to the demonstration in the park, where they held Palestinian flags and banners against the backdrop of a large poster of Jerusalem, a city that is out of reach for most Gazans.
“I can’t carry a weapon to shoot or launch rockets at Israelis,” she said. “That’s why I am here protesting against Trump’s resolution by shouting solidarity slogans for Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Palestine.”“I can’t carry a weapon to shoot or launch rockets at Israelis,” she said. “That’s why I am here protesting against Trump’s resolution by shouting solidarity slogans for Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Palestine.”
In the Jabaliya refugee camp north of Gaza City Rwaida Abuatia, 55, was egging on the protesters. “There should be no rockets under the ground,” she said, referring to the subterranean stocks. “They should all be launched against Israel.”