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LIVE: Calls for Palestinian uprising after Trump's Jerusalem move

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LIVE: Calls for Palestinian uprising after Trump's Jerusalem move

After 70 years, Donald Trump did on Wednesday what no previous US president has done – recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The announcement has sparked anger and protest across the Middle East while being welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and supporters of Israel.

Leaders in Gaza and the West Bank have called for a strong response, with protests in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. Israeli soldiers were deployed in anticipation of unrest.

We’ll be bringing you live updates here.

Feel free to leave comments and news tips below; we’re also on Twitter @MiddleEastEye and Facebook.

Photo: Protesters shout slogans and wave the Jordanian flag during a protest near the American Embassy in Amman against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 7, 2017.  (AFP)

Live Updates

6 years ago

Hello, we're moving over to a fresh new blog this morning, find it here, for all of Friday's developments. 

You can also follow the news on our Twitter @MiddleEastEye and Facebook.

6 years ago

Hello from MEE's US team.

Here are the events that took place in the evening and overnight:

► Tillerson says peace is still possible between the Israelis and Palestinians.

► The Israeli army retaliated after a "projectile" fired from Gaza.

► A senior Palestinian official in President Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah party said US Vice President Mike Pence "is unwelcome in Palestine".

►Brother of Jordanian King criticised US embassy move as "irresponsible".

That's it for the night folks. We will get back with the latest developments tomorrow morning.

6 years ago

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said there "a very good opportunity for peace to be achieved" between the Israelis and Palestinians after Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. 

The President is very committed to the Middle East peace process. He has a team that he put in place almost immediately upon entering the White House," Tillerson said.

6 years ago

A file photo of an Israeli F-15 fighter aircraft (Reuters)
A file photo of an Israeli F-15 fighter aircraft (Reuters)
The Israeli army retaliated after a "projectile" fired from Gaza hit its territory Thursday, the army said, blaming Hamas which had called for an intifada after US recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

"A short while ago, a projectile was fired from northern Gaza & exploded in southern Israel," the Israel Defence Forces said on its official Twitter account.

"In response to that fire & the projectiles fired at Israel throughout the day that fell short in Gaza, an IDF tank & an IAF (Israeli Air Force) aircraft targeted two terror posts in Gaza."

The military said Hamas was "responsible for the hostile activity perpetrated against Israel from the Gaza Strip" which the Islamist movement controls.

6 years ago

A senior Palestinian official in President Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah party said on Thursday that U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, due to visit the region later this month, "is unwelcome in Palestine".

"In the name of Fatah I say that we will not welcome Trump's deputy in the Palestinian Territories. He asked to meet (Abbas) on the 19th of this month in Bethlehem, such a meeting will not take place," Jibril Rajoub said.

Aides for Abbas were not immediately available for comment.

6 years ago

Good evening,

Here's an evening round-up of the day's events:

► At least 31 people injured in clashes across the West Bank and Gaza during protests against the US embassy move.

► Two rockets were fired from Gaza into Southern Israel. 

► Palestinian factions have called for a "Day of Rage" to take place on Friday.

►Protests took place across the Middle East and North Africa.   

►Brother of Jordanian King criticised US embassy move as "irresponsible".

We will continue to update the live-blog throughout the night with the latest developments. 

6 years ago

Meron Rapoport, Middle East Eye contributor and former head of news at Haaertz, tells MEE that Trump’s decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem is good for the Palestinians because it will put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict back on the international agenda.

Here are some more of his thoughts:

  • The majority of Israelis don’t see the declaration as an end to the two-state solution largely because, for them, it is "clear and obvious" that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel
     
  • It is wrong for Israel to think that the entire international community holds the same opinions as Donald Trump - even though, as US president, he is currently the “leader of the free world”
     
  • Trump's decision will, however, embolden the motives of settlers as well as those on the right of Israeli politics. They will now do what they want, without worrying about what the international community does and thinks about Israeli actions and interests. “It doesn’t matter if Europe, the UN Security Council and everyone else rejects Israel’s plans," he said. "Israel knows that, in the end, it can do what it wants, even if it takes 20 years.”
6 years ago

Many users on Twitter have noticed that Google search returns Jerusalem as the capital of Israel – with several pointing out it happened before the Trump announcement.

It’s here on search…

Back in 2016, we ran a piece on how Google sparked an outcry after reports emerged that it had allegedly removed Palestine from its maps.

If you look closely at the map we used then, you’ll see that Jerusalem is marked as a dot inside a circle, on a par with Middle East capital cities including Damascus, Beirut and Amman. Tel Aviv, in contrast, where foreign embassies are based, only gets a white circle -  which puts it on a par with Haifa.

6 years ago

Prince Hamzah bin al-Hussein, a brother to King Abdullah, tweeted that the move was “an exceptionally irresponsible and dangerous step.” 

The remarks represent the first time a royal of his generation has criticised US actions, according to one expert. 

Read more here... 

6 years ago

The Israeli military said on Thursday that two rockets launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip fell short inside the Palestinian enclave.

There was no initial claim of responsibility from any militant groups in the Gaza Strip for the launchings.

Via Reuters

6 years ago

From calling America 'the root of evil' to not covering Trump's decision at all, here's a round-up of the front page coverage of four major Arab dailies:

Al-Akhbar: ‘It’s either America . . . or Jerusalem’

“Should the Arabs be aware that America, in short, is the root of all evil?,” writes the Lebanese newspaper which is close to Hezbollah.

“As for Israel, let’s leave it aside. Whatever has been said of Israel's 'power and superiority', is only a result of the American- British colonisers. Israel wouldn't survive a day without the protection, care and support of the West.”

“Today at this moment, those of us Arabs who surrender completely to America under the banner of 'peace', are nothing more than submissive cowards. While the 'free world' watches helplessly in the face of a mad cowboy, we should stand up with dignity and address the root of the problem not its symptoms. We have no choice but to raise our fists and slogans and shout, 'Death to America!”


Asharq Al-Awsat: 'Trump recognises Jerusalem as capital'

In a straightforward news report, Saudi-funded Asharq Al-Awsat wrote that “Trump fulfilled the promise he made in his election campaign and declared officially yesterday his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel”.


Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: ‘Trump, the second occupation’

The London-based Qatari-funded Al-Araby Al-Jadeed writes: "There is a war on the Palestinian case to undermine the right of return of refugees and the Palestinian state."

But Palestinians have “loads of options” about how they react against Trump’s move.


Al Arab: 'Ahmed Ali in a race against time'

Going in an entirely different editorial direction, the Emirati paper’s front page covered Ahmed Ali Saleh, son of former Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh who was killed by the Houthis on Monday in Sanaa.

6 years ago

Palestinian-based Al-Quds news network confirmed there has been "renewed" rocket fire from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli residential areas near the Gaza border. 

Source: Al Quds News network 

6 years ago

Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, said in a televised speech on Thursday that "Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem are under threat" after Trump's decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv.

"One day we might wake up and find Al-Aqsa mosque being demolished because of the ongoing Israeli diggings underneath it."

He said that the US administration did not respect its Arab allies when it took this decision, and it did not abide by the international community consensus and UN resolutions regarding Jerusalem.

"Trump fired the last bullet on the peace process and he dared to announce its death," he said.

6 years ago

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has confirmed that Canada has no intention of moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. 

Speaking in China during a visit, he said: “We will not be moving Canada’s embassy from Tel Aviv.”