Gaza Strip: 55 Palestinians killed while protesting US embassy in Jerusalem

At least 55 Palestinians were killed and 2,771 were injured on Monday as Israeli troops fired on demonstrators along the Gaza-Israel boundary protesting the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, making it the deadliest day of violence since the 2014 Gaza war.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today accused Israel of "state terror" and "genocide" after Israeli forces killed at least 55 Palestinians on the Gaza border.

In one of his most vehement broadsides ever against the Jewish state, Erdogan also announced three days of national mourning over the deaths, as well as a giant protest in Istanbul on Friday.

US blocks call for independent Gaza inquiry at UN

Despite the bloodshed, Trump hailed the move in a video message. He told the dedication ceremony that it had been a "long time coming", adding: "Israel is a sovereign nation with the right to determine its own capital but for many years we failed to acknowledge the obvious."

Trump threatens to stop US aid worth 'hundreds of millions' to Palestine

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to withdraw aid money to Palestinians as they are unwilling to negotiate peace with Israel.

"..we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don't even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel," Trump said in a series of two lengthy tweets.

"We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?" Trump asked.

According to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, since the mid-1990s, the US government has committed more than USD 5 billion in bilateral economic and non-lethal security assistance to the Palestinians.

Earlier in the day, the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said the US would cut off aid if the Palestinians continue to refuse to engage in peace negotiations.

"I think the president has basically said that he doesn't want to give any additional funding or stop funding until the Palestinians are agreeing to come back to the negotiation table," Haley told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.

"What we saw with the resolution was not helpful to the situation. We're trying to move for a peace process. But if that doesn't happen the president's not going to continue to fund that situation," Haley said in response to a question when asked if the US would continue to fund Palestine despite the recent resolution of the UN General Assembly against Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel.
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Israel's air-defense system intercepts two rockets fired from Gaza strip

Israeli army on Friday intercepted two rockets fired from the Gaza strip, while the third rocket fell near the Gaza border.
The Anadolu Agency quoted an Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth as saying that air-raid sirens were sounded in the border communities of Sdot Negev and Shaar Hanegev.

"The Iron Dome air-defense system intercepted two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip," the newspaper reported.

"A third rocket landed on a structure in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council in southern Israel," it added.

No casualties or material damage was reported.

United States President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital has prompted international criticism and sparked protests across the world.

Jerusalem is considered a sacred place, which is home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites.

However, it is also a disputed territory, contested by both Israel and Palestine, which sees it as a capital of its future state.
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UN Security Council weighs measure rejecting Trump's Jerusalem decision

The UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution that would affirm that any change to the status of Jerusalem has no legal effect and must be rescinded, in response to the US decision to recognise the city as Israel's capital.

Egypt circulated the draft text on Saturday and diplomats said the council could vote on the proposed measure as early as Monday.

Breaking with the international consensus, US President Donald Trump this month announced that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, sparking protests and strong condemnation.

The draft resolution obtained by AFP stresses that Jerusalem is an issue "to be resolved through negotiations" and expresses "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem", without specifically mentioning Trump's move.

It affirms that "any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition" of Jerusalem "have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded."

Diplomats said they expected the United States to use its veto power to block the measure while most, if not all, of the 14 other council members were expected to back the draft resolution.
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Clashes in West Bank over Donald Trump's Jerusalem move

Clashes broke out on Friday between Palestinians and Israeli forces in several West Bank locations during protests over US President Donald Trump's decision of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The violence occurred after scores of Palestinians performed Friday prayers at the Israeli military checkpoint of Qalandia, north of the West Bank between Ramallah and Jerusalem.

The Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint threw teargas bombs and opened fire at the worshippers in an attempt to disperse them after prayers, Xinhua news agency reported.

Similar clashes were also reported in several locations including Ramallah, Hebron, Qalqilia and Bethlehem.

Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli security forces in Bethlehem as hundreds demonstrated outside the Al-Aqsa mosque, CNN reported.

Metal security barriers were erected around the Damascus Gate entrance to Jerusalem's Old City, a flashpoint for protests, and extra police officers were deployed to control crowds.

In Gaza, hundreds marched after the prayers on the Salah Al-Dein highway, which goes from the northern borders of the Gaza Strip towards the southern borders with Egypt.

Islamic Hamas movement leaders in Gaza called on supporters to head towards the bordering area and confront the Israeli soldiers stationed there.
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Pope Francis defends Jerusalem 'status quo' ahead of Trump's announcement

Pope Francis on Wednesday defended the "status quo" of Jerusalem, hours ahead of an announcement by US President Donald Trump in which officials said he will recognise the disputed city as Israel's capital.

"I cannot silence my deep concern over the situation that has emerged in recent days. At the same time, I appeal strongly for all to respect the city's status quo, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions," the pope said in his weekly address.

The Argentine pontiff's call came a day after he spoke by phone with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, the Vatican said without elaborating.

"Jerusalem is a unique city, sacred for Jews, Christians and Muslims," he said, adding that it was home to sites deemed holy by followers of the three major monotheistic faiths.

Jerusalem, the pope said, holds a "special vocation for peace".

"I pray to God that this identity is preserved and reinforced, for the sake of the Holy Land, the West Asia and the whole world, and that wisdom and prudence prevail," he said.

The pontiff added that maintaining the status quo was important "in order to avoid adding new elements of tension to an already volatile world that is wracked by so many cruel conflicts".
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Saudis, Turks voice alarm over US move to mark Jerusalem as Israel capital

Saudi Arabia on Monday voiced "grave and deep concern" over possible US plans to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying the move could have serious implications for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

President Donald Trump faces a key decision this week over Jerusalem's status, potentially reversing years of US policy and prompting a furious response from the Palestinians and the Arab world.

"Saudi Arabia (expresses) grave and deep concern over reports that the US administration intends to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem," the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing a foreign ministry source.

"This step will have serious implications and will further complicate the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It will also obstruct the ongoing efforts to revive the peace process."

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues of the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Facing dark warnings of a historic misstep and widespread unrest, Trump on Monday delayed a decision on whether to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there.
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