US News

Palestinian ‘day of rage’ protests turn deadly

One Palestinian was killed and hundreds wounded Friday during a “day of rage” in the West Bank, Gaza and in East Jerusalem — as thousands of protesters railed against President Trump’s recognition of the ancient city as Israel’s capital, according to reports.

The dead Palestinian was identified as 30-year-old Mahmoud al-Masri, who was shot by Israeli troops in the Khan Younis region of Gaza, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

“During the riots, Israel Defense Forces soldiers fired selectively towards two main instigators and hits were confirmed,” the army said in a statement.

At one point, the Gaza Health Ministry said another man was killed, but later retracted the statement, saying he was in “very critical” condition after being shot in the head.

An estimated 5,000 Palestinian protesters held demonstrations and clashed with Israeli security forces after midday prayers.

Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system also intercepted a rocket fired toward the southern community of Sderot, which sits less than a mile from the Gaza border, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The Islamist group Hamas, which controls Gaza, called for a new Palestinian uprising like the intifadas of 1987-1993 and 2000-2005 that claimed thousands of Palestinian lives and more than 1,000 Israelis.

Relatives react next to the body of a Palestinian man, who was shot dead during clashes with Israeli troops in the southern Gaza Strip.Reuters

“Whoever moves his embassy to occupied Jerusalem will become an enemy of the Palestinians and a target of Palestinian factions,” Hamas leader Fathy Hammad said as protesters torched posters of Trump, Reuters reported.

“We declare an intifada until the liberation of Jerusalem and all of Palestine,” he said.

As Friday prayers ended at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, worshipers made their way toward the Old City and chanted: “Jerusalem is ours, Jerusalem is our capital” and “We don’t need empty words, we need stones and Kalashnikovs.”

Scuffles broke out between protesters and Israeli troops in Hebron, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Ramallah and elsewhere as protesters burned Israeli and American flags in displays of fury.

According to the Red Crescent, 254 Palestinians were injured. Of those, 178 suffered from tear gas inhalation. Another 52 were hurt by rubber bullets and 11 by live bullets, the paper reported.

The diplomatic fallout from Trump’s highly controversial declaration also continued – with suggestions that the Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas may refuse to meet Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to the region later this month.

The UN Security Council met Friday in an emergency session at the request of Britain, France, Sweden, Bolivia, Uruguay, Italy, Senegal and Egypt to discuss Trump’s move, which also has drawn condemnation from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In a joint statement later, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and Italy described Trump’s decision as “unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region.”

“We stand ready to contribute to all credible efforts to restart the peace process, on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, leading to a two-state solution,” they said. “We encourage the US Administration to now bring forward detailed proposals for an Israel-Palestinian settlement.”

UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said Washington has credibility as a peace mediator and accused the UN of damaging peace prospects with unfair attacks on Israel.

“Israel will never be, and should never be, bullied into an agreement by the United Nations, or by any collection of countries that have proven their disregard for Israel’s security,” Haley said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday it would still be up to the Israelis and Palestinians to hammer out all other issues surrounding the city of Jerusalem in future peace talks.

“With respect to the rest of Jerusalem, the president … did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem. He was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide,” he said.

Tillerson said it will “take some time” to acquire a site for the new embassy, develop building plans, obtain authorizations from the Israeli government and actually build it.

Trump’s seismic policy shift on Jerusalem has infuriated Arabs and Muslims who view it as an expression of blatant pro-Israel bias in one of the region’s most explosive religious and political disputes.

Thousands also took to the streets in Iran, Lebanon, Turkey, Algeria, Yemen, Somalia, Egypt and other countries to decry Trump for breaking with decades-long US policy on Jerusalem’s status.

With Post wires