By Abdul Raouf Arnaout and Qais Abu Samra
JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH (AA) – Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem took to the streets on Thursday to protest U.S President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, hundreds of Palestinians marched from the city center towards Israel’s Bet Eil checkpoint shouting slogans denouncing the move.
Israeli forces, meanwhile, have tried to disperse protesters with rubber bullets and copious amounts of teargas.
Similar protest were seen in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm and Jericho.
In Hebron (Al-Khalil), Israeli forces — using live ammunition, rubber bullets and teargas — clashed with protesters in the city’s Bab al-Zawiya district.
In Jerusalem, meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinians staged demonstrations near the Old City’s Damascus Gate amid a heavy Israeli police presence.
Immediately after Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, Palestinian political factions released a joint statement calling for strikes, marches and demonstrations to protest the move.
The following day, the Israeli army declared a state of maximum alert in anticipation of angry protests.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society, meanwhile, said it had treated dozens of Palestinians for various injuries. No deaths have been reported.
On Wednesday, Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in a move that has drawn widespread condemnation from governments and political groups across the Middle East.
