Hundreds of people took to the streets on Friday throughout the Arab and Muslim world in protest US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man near the Gaza border, the first confirmed death in two days of unrest. Scores of people were wounded on the "Day of Rage".
As Friday prayers ended at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, worshippers made their way toward the walled Old City gates, chanting "Jerusalem is ours, Jerusalem is our capital.”
Clashes erupted between Israeli police and protesters in the West Bank and on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip. Dozens of Palestinians were wounded as Israeli police fired rubber bullets at the demonstrators. The Palestinian Red Crescent said that it treated 300 rubber bullet wounds and cases of suffocation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Clashes were also reported after Friday Muslim prayers in Ramallah, al-Khalil, Nablus, Bethlehem and other regions.
In Egypt, hundreds of people took to the streets after Friday prayers at al-Azhar Mosque.
The demonstrators called for a boycott of US products and for annulling the peace treaty signed with Israel. They called for Arab and Muslim solidarity against the Israeli aggression and American decisions.
Similar scenes were witnessed in Iraq, where protesters condemned Trump’s decision, saying that it threatens regional security and stability.
They called on the international community to stand by the Palestinian people’s struggle and right to have Jerusalem as its capital.
In Lebanon, protests by Lebanese and Palestinians kicked off in Beirut and the southern city of Sidon. Banners at the rallies condemned Trump’s decision and read: “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine.”
Same banners were carried at demonstrators in Jordan. Some 20,000 protesters took part in a rally in the capital Amman after prayers at the Grand al-Husseini mosque.
Similar demonstrations were staged in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Turkey.
