Women’s groups march to Kalandiya in Trump protest

Several Palestinian women’s groups and leaders are organizing a march to the Kalandiya checkpoint to protest US President Donald Trump’s recent changes to American policy on Jerusalem, Dalal Salama, the sole female Fatah Central Committee member, said on Tuesday.

The march – which was organized by the General Union of Palestinian Women, Palestinian women’s rights groups and notable Palestinian women – was scheduled for Wednesday, one day before International Women’s Day.

“The main message of the march is that Palestinian women consider the American president’s decisions about Jerusalem unacceptable,” Salama told The Jerusalem Post in a phone call.

In early December, 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 many Palestinians. While the Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership hopes east Jerusalem will become the capital of a Palestinian state, Israel considers all of the city to be part of its sovereign territory.

Salama also said the march “aims to highlight restrictions on the movement of Palestinian women wishing to go to Jerusalem.”

Israel requires that Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip obtain permits in order to enter Jerusalem and other areas under its control. Israeli authorities frequently reject Palestinians’ applications for such permits. They contend that they deny the applications for security purposes.

The march was planned to start at the Kalandiya refugee camp and end at the Kalandiya checkpoint in northern Jerusalem.

Young Palestinians and Israeli security forces often clashed at the checkpoint. However, Salama said the march on Wednesday would be “peaceful” and “nonviolent.”