Senior Fatah leader calls for general strike

A senior Fatah official on Sunday called for a general strike later this week to protest US President Donald Trump’s changes to American policy on Jerusalem, official Palestinian Authority radio reported.

On December 6, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and initiated the relocation of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to the city, breaking with decades of American policy and infuriating the Palestinian leadership.

Fatah Central Committee member Jamal Muhaisen, who is responsible for overseeing his party’s local cadres, urged Palestinians in “all sectors and government institutions,” except for those who work for in healthcare and education, to strike on Tuesday.

Munir Jaghoub, a Fatah spokesman, said the strike was planned to coincide with US Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to the region.

Pence, who is on his first tour of the Middle East as vice president, met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Saturday and with Jordanian King Abdullah in Amman on Sunday.

Pence is slated to meet on Monday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and deliver a speech to the Knesset. He is not scheduled to meet with Palestinian officials.

Over the past several weeks, many Palestinian officials have said they would not welcome Pence in the West Bank because of Trump’s decisions on Jerusalem.