Two Palestinians shot dead during riots over Trump’s Jerusalem move
TWO Palestinians have been killed in clashes over US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, after Hamas called for a “day of rage” in protest against Donald Trump’s decision.
Israeli soldiers shot the two men dead yesterday near the Gaza border, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement, while the Red Cross said scores were wounded in clashes across the West Bank.
The Israeli military said hundreds of Palestinians had rolled burning tyres and thrown rocks at soldiers across the Gaza border. “During the riots Israel Defence Forces soldiers fired Protesters burn an effigy depicting US President Donald Trump
selectively towards two main instigators and hits were confirmed,” an spokesman for the army added.
The Trump administration’s move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has angered Palestinians, sparking protests that stretched across the Muslim world on Friday, from Turkey to Indonesia.
Speaking at the UN Security Council in New York, the UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov warned there was a risk of violent escalation after Mr Trump’s speech on Wednesday.
“There is a serious risk today that we may see a chain of unilateral actions, which can only push us further away from achieving our shared goal of peace,” he said.
Various Palestinian groups, including militant organisation Hamas, had called for the protests to take place against the US and in opposition to the Israeli occupation.
An estimated 3,000 people marched, burned Israeli flags and stamped on posters of Mr Trump in around 30 protests across the Palestinian territories.
In Jerusalem, midday prayers ended with marches through the Old City. While there was some pushing and shoving as police broke up the crowds, the protests remained largely peaceful.
Protesters chanted “Jerusalem is ours”, “We don’t need empty words, we need stones and Kalashnikovs” and “America is the head of the snake”, as Friday prayers ended and worshippers made their way from the al-Aqsa mosque to the walled Old City gates.
In Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers who fired back with tear gas.
At least 13 people were injured bylivefireand47byrubberbullets across the West Bank and Gaza throughout the day.
Dozens more suffered from tear gas inhalation, Red Crescent paramedics said.
In Gaza, protests were accompanied by loudspeakers blaring messages from Hamas’s leaders.
“Whoever moves his embassy to occupied Jerusalem will become an enemy of the Palestinians and a target of Palestinian factions,” said leader Fathi Hammad. “We declare an intifada until the liberation of Jerusalem and all of Palestine.”