West Bank schools, shops closed to protest Trump

West Bank schools, shops closed to protest Trump
Thu Dec 7, 2017 11:42:37

Schools and shops are closed in the West Bank, as Palestinians are protesting President Donald Trump's recognition of contested "Jerusalem" (al-Quds) as Israel's capital.

(AP) -- Political groups have called for protest marches in West Bank town centers at noon on Thursday.

Trump's dramatic break on Wednesday with decades of U.S. policy on al-Quds counters long-standing international assurances to the Palestinians that the fate of the city will be determined in negotiations.

The Palestinians seek Israeli-annexed east al-Quds, captured by Israel in 1967, as a future capital. In recognizing al-Quds as Israel's capital, Trump was seen as siding with Israel which claims the entire city.

There has been strong international condemnation of Trump's announcement. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused his American counterpart of throwing the Middle East into a "ring of fire" by declaring the divided holy city of "Jerusalem" (al-Quds) as Israel's capital.

Erdogan also compared President Donald Trump to a "blender" that is stirring up trouble in the region.

The Turkish leader said, addressing Trump: "It's not possible to understand what you are trying to get out of it."

Erdogan added that "political leaders exist not to stir things up, but to make peace."

He also said: "If Trump says 'I am strong therefore I am right,' he is mistaken."

Erdogan spoke to a group of workers on Thursday who had gathered at Ankara's airport, before he departed for an official visit to Greece.

(File Photo: AP)
 

string(484) "[{"id":"3199421","sort":"11432741","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"151262200603318400.jpg","title":"Iran says Trump's al-Quds move to spark another Palestinian Intifada "} ,{"id":"3199631","sort":"11432736","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"151262721286471700.jpg","title":"British PM blasts Trump’s ‘unhelpful’ al-Quds move "} ,{"id":"3199756","sort":"11432731","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"151263065252517800.jpg","title":"US not taking sides in dispute over al-Quds: US Official "} ]"