In the occupied West Bank, scores of Palestinians have been injured as protests continue to rage over President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to move the U.S. Embassy there. In Ramallah, four protesters were wounded by live fire, as Israeli forces fired bullets and tear gas at Palestinians who burned tires and threw stones. Dozens more were wounded in the Gaza Strip, including three Palestinians hit by live rounds. In occupied East Jerusalem, protesters marched on the U.S. Consulate amid a massive crackdown. This is Jerusalem resident Hatem Abed al-Qader.
Hatem Abed al-Qader: “We are here to send a message to the United States and all the whole world that Jerusalem is part of the Palestinian territories. Jerusalem is [an] occupied city. Jerusalem must be capital of the Palestinian state. We are against the decision of Mr. Trump. This decision is illegal. It is against the international law.”
In Jakarta, Indonesia, some 10,000 protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy to protest Trump’s decision. There were similar protests in Santiago, Chile; Beirut, Lebanon; Brussels, Belgium; and Dhaka, Bangladesh, among other cities. In the Turkish capital, Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel as a “terrorist state”—while visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin said the U.S. decision on Jerusalem threatens to further destabilize the Middle East.