DEADLY PROTESTS IN GAZA
U.S. opens embassy, clash kills 55
As the U.S. officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Monday, tensions rose along the Gaza Strip, spurring protests in Ottawa and around the world.
Palestinian supporters gathered on the steps of the U.S. Embassy on Sussex Drive to send a message to U.S. President Donald Trump — and to other leaders around the world — that the decision to allow the Americans to move their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem contravenes international law.
For Israelis, it marked the first official recognition of their capital after 70 years. But the move infuriated Palestinians, who seek the eastern part of the city that Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war as their future capital.
“We are here to tell Trump that what he is doing is against international law. Jerusalem is a Palestinian territory, and according to international law, Jerusalem should be under international law until both parties agree to divide it into (two) capitals or what,” said Jamal Hamed, president of the Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians (APAC).
“Until then, no other country is allowed to move their embassy to Jerusalem and recognize it as the capital of Israel.”
A gala in Jerusalem to celebrate the embassy’s move was held in the shadow a violent day during which Israeli soldiers shot and killed more than 50 Palestinians during mass protests.
It was the deadliest day of violence along the Israel- Gaza border since the 2014 war.
Manal El Najjar said her cousin’s son was among the hundreds injured in the violence.
A resident of Ottawa for the past 19 years, she said she is fearful for her relatives in Gaza.
“We are so sad about what happened this morning. I called my cousin and her son, he was shot in the leg and he was in a terrible situation,” said El Najjar, standing on the steps of the embassy. “(My family) are scared and they are not comfortable, and they are not stable there because they don’t have enough food and they don’t have enough health services.”
Trump’s top aides and supporters attended the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-inlaw and senior adviser, praised the president for following through on his election promise.