Tension Awaits Pence In Jerusalem Wednesday

A Palestinian demonstrator stands near burning tires during clashes with Israeli troops. - Reuters
A Palestinian demonstrator stands near burning tires during clashes with Israeli troops. - Reuters
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Tension Awaits Pence In Jerusalem Wednesday

A Palestinian demonstrator stands near burning tires during clashes with Israeli troops. - Reuters
A Palestinian demonstrator stands near burning tires during clashes with Israeli troops. - Reuters

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah Movement called on the Palestinians to attend a massive demonstration next week to protest against the visit of US Vice President Mike Pence to Jerusalem, and reject Washington’s decision to recognize the holy city as Israel’s capital.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Movement said: "We stress on the need to stage protests at the entrances to Jerusalem and in its Old City to coincide with the visit of US Vice President Mike next Wednesday.”

Fatah also called for a complete coordination with Christians on Sunday evening to massively attend candle-lighting ceremonies in the city of Bethlehem.

On Saturday, thousands of Palestinians attended the funeral of four men who were killed on Friday during confrontations with the occupying Israeli army.

Tens of Palestinians were also injured on Saturday while attending angry demonstration against the US decision.

Meanwhile, Abbas rejected any change in the borders of the occupied “east Jerusalem.”

"We will not accept any changes to the 1967 border of east Jerusalem," Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Abbas, said Saturday.

"This American position proves once again that the current US administration is completely out of the peace process," he added.

The response came a day after senior official in Washington said the US expects the Western Wall in Jerusalem to be part of Israel.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s King Abdullah II will meet at the Vatican on Tuesday with Pope Francis for talks on developments related to Jerusalem following the US decision to recognize it as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy there.

Jordanian official news agency Petra said that from the Vatican, the King will head to France where he will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on the latest developments in the Middle East, also mainly those related to Jerusalem.



France Declines to Comment on Algeria’s Anger over Recognition of Morocco’s Claim over Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
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France Declines to Comment on Algeria’s Anger over Recognition of Morocco’s Claim over Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)

Paris declined to comment on Algeria’s “strong condemnation” of the French government’s decision to recognize Morocco’s claim over the Sahara.

The office of the French Foreign Ministry refused to respond to an AFP request for a comment on the Algeria’s stance.

It did say that further comments could impact the trip Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is set to make to France in late September or early October.

The visit has been postponed on numerous occasions over disagreements between the two countries.

France had explicitly expressed its constant and clear support for the autonomy rule proposal over the Sahara during Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne’s visit to Morocco in February, reported AFP.

The position has helped improve ties between Rabat and Paris.

On Thursday, the Algerian Foreign Ministry expressed “great regret and strong denunciation" about the French government's decision to recognize an autonomy plan for the Western Sahara region "within Moroccan sovereignty”.

Algeria was informed of the decision by France in recent days, an Algerian foreign ministry statement added.

The ministry also said Algeria would draw all the consequences from the decision and hold the French government alone completely responsible.