# data[].attributes.body
This article explains the U.S.' intentions to relocate to U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in time for the 70th anniversary of Jerusalem's Independence day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The US will move its embassy to Jerusalem by May of this year in time to mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's independence, Israeli media reported.

A US official said an official announcement is expected late on Friday, finally setting a date for Donald Trump's controversial decision to go into force.

Under the terms of the plan, US ambassador David Friedman and a small team of staff will set up their offices in an existing American consular building in west Jerusalem.

That building will then become America's official embassy, even if it is only temporary.

The majority of American diplomats will remain at the current embassy building in Tel Aviv.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
US will 'move its embassy to Jerusalem by May'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The US will move its embassy to Jerusalem by May of this year in time to mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's independence, Israeli media reported. A US official said an official announcement is expected late on Friday, finally setting a date for Donald Trump's controversial decision to go into force.

# data[].attributes.body
The United States opened an embassy on the 14th of May in Jerusalem. The previous US embassy was located in Tel Aviv. This social movement began on the 30th of March as Palestinians have engaged in many demonstrations and protests at the Israeli-Gaza border against the opening of the embassy.
(Information obtained from the news articles linked)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
SEOUL -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the US recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital and would move its embassy there, upending decades of a diplomatic consensus over the status of the city pioneered by his predecessors.

Citing a 1995 law, the Jerusalem Embassy Act, compelling the president make the move absent national security risks, Trump said the time had come to recognize what everyone already knows to be true. "Jerusalem is the capital the Jewish people established in ancient times," he said. "Today Jerusalem is the seat of Israel's government."

"This is nothing more or less than a recognition of the reality," he added.

He directed the State Department to begin preparing the move, which may take years as the government scopes out a location, hires architects and plans for what is sure to be a challenging security environment.

Trump made the announcement despite fierce opposition from America's closest allies in recent days. European and Arab world leaders alike, including Britain, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the pope, said that he was recklessly challenging a delicate status quo over the city, in which the international community has insisted its future must be determined in direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians themselves.

Trump said that his move does not change his commitment to that negotiated settlement- and underscored his commitment by endorsing a two-state solution for the first time.

"We want an agreement that is a great deal for the Israelis and a great deal for the Palestinians," he said. "The United States would support a two state solution if agreed to by both sides."

Trump said that his actions on Wednesday do not determine the "specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty" in the city, stating those would be "subject to final status negotiations between the parties." The Israeli government says that Jerusalem is its undivided and eternal capital, while Palestinians insist that a peace agreement must deliver them a sovereign state with a capital of its own in the city's eastern districts.

"We are not taking a position on any final status issues," Trump said. To that end, Nikki Haley, the US envoy to the UN, said the administration would not be "taking sides" on the fate of East Jerusalem.

But the international community did not immediately interpret Trump's moves in this way. Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, made remarks to the press shortly after Trump spoke urging calm, amid warnings from the State Department itself that violence may erupt following Trump's announcement.

"Jerusalem is a final status issue that must be resolved in final status negotiations between the two parties," Guterres stated. "In this moment of great tension, I want to make it clear there is no alternative to the two-state solution. There is no Plan B."

France's president, Emmanuel Macron, also called the decision "regrettable" and said the status of Jerusalem was not for one country to decide, but a matter of international security, of consensus and of law. And Britain's prime minister, Theresa May, characterized the move as "unhelpful" to the prospects for peace in the region.

"We disagree with the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final status agreement," May said. "The British Embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and we have no plans to move it."

"We encourage the US administration to now bring forward detailed proposals for an Israel-Palestinian settlement," she added. "To have the best chances of success, the peace process must be conducted in an atmosphere free from violence. We call on all parties to work together to maintain calm."

The administration's closest allies in the Arab world, on which it based its upcoming Mideast peace initiative, strongly condemned the move. Egypt said it refused to recognize it and warned of grave consequences. Turkey threatened to sever ties to Israel and the State Department's office for embassy security warned of planned protests in all of its major cities.

Despite unanimous international protest, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the administration had consulted partners ahead of the decision and that his team "firmly believes there is an opportunity for a lasting peace."

A senior White House official told The Jerusalem Post that Trump's Middle East peace team, led by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner and special representative for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt, was a consultative partner on the decision and fully supports the move.

"The peace team was fully aware of this and in the loop," the official said. "Certain parties are going to react the way they need to react. We expect bumps along the way- but we believe there is an historic opportunity."

Greenblatt wrote on Twitter that Trump's speech was a "courageous" effort to recognize the current and historic reality of the city's status. His team is committed to pressing on, he continued, no matter how angrily parties react in the short term.

Trump castigated past presidents as cowardly for failing to make the move earlier, "under the belief that delaying recognition of Jerusalem would advance the cause of peace."

"The record is in," he added. "After two decades of waivers, we are no closer to a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians."

"Old challenges demand new approaches. My announcement today marks the beginning of a new approach," Trump said in his announcement from the White House diplomatic reception room, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence, who has pushed for the move. Pence will be visiting Israel later this month.

Members of Israel's cabinet have praised the move as "destined" and "overdue." And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video statement praising Trump's action.

"We're profoundly grateful to the president for the courageous and just decision," Netanyahu said, calling the move one in furtherance of peace, "because there is no peace that does not include Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."

"This decision reflects the president's commitment to an ancient and enduring truth," he added.

But the Palestinians have warned this marks a potentially fatal blow to Trump's burgeoning peace initiative, and Hamas has called for a new intifada- a violent uprising- in response.

In a forceful speech, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Trump's claim that his move was actually a step towards peace- and said that, with his actions, the US had relinquished its historic role as broker.

"The US administration with this statement has chosen to go against all the international and bilateral agreements, and to ignore the international consensus," Abbas said in a televised address. "The United States is withdrawing from the role it has played in the peace process."

Abbas recounted Christian and Muslim history in the contested city, known in the Arab world as al-Quds, without acknowledging any Jewish history there.

"It's an attempt to change our history, and it will not succeed," he said. "It's a Palestinian city- an Arab city, a Christian city and a Muslim city."

A day of rage is expected in the ancient city, and regionwide, on Friday.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Trump announces US moving embassy to Jerusalem

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
SEOUL -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the US recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital and would move its embassy there, upending decades of a diplomatic consensus over the status of the city pioneered by his predecessors.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
U.S. Speeds Up Timetable for Moving Embassy to Jerusalem

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The announcement speeds up the timetable for a decision that has infuriated Palestinian leaders.

# data[].attributes.body
ABC, 2018, 'Israeli forces kill dozens in Gaza protests as anger mounts over US embassy move to Jerusalem,' ABC News  15 May, viewed 19 May 2018, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-14/israeli-forces-kill-dozens-in-gaza-amid-us-embassy-protests/9760132>.

ABC, 2018, 'Israel kicks off US embassy celebrations, boosts border force ahead of mass Palestinian protests,' ABC News 14 May, viewed 19 May 2018, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-14/israel-kicks-off-us-embassy-celebration-boosts-border-force/9757652>.

Halbfinger, H, Kershner, I and Walsh D 2018, 'Israel Kills Dozen at Gaza Border as U.S. Embassy opens in Jerusalem,' New York Times 14 May, viewed 19 May 2018, <https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/world/middleeast/gaza-protests-palestinians-us-embassy.html>.

Holmes, O and Balousha, H 2018, 'Israel faces outcry over Gaza killings during Jerusalem embassy protests,' Guardian 15 May, viewed 19 May 2018, <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/14/israel-tells-palestinians-they-are-risking-lives-in-us-embassy-protests>.

Jeffery, A 2018,  'Deadly protests erupt over the US Embassy move to Jerusalem,' CNBC 14 May, viewed 19 May 2018, <https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/14/deadly-protests-erupt-over-the-us-embassy-move-to-jerusalem.html>.

Reuters, 2018, 'Over 10,000 Moroccans Protest U.S. Embassy Move to Jerusalem,'  New York Times 20 May, viewed 19 May 2018, <https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/20/world/africa/morocco-israel-protest.html>.

Sanchez, R 2018, 'US will move its embassy to Jerusalem by May,' Telegraph 23 February, viewed 19 May 2018, <https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/23/us-will-move-embassy-jerusalem-may/>.

Wadhams, N 2018, 'U.S. Speeds Up Timetable for Moving Embassy to Jerusalem,'  Time 24 February, viewed 19 May 2018, <http://time.com/5174043/us-embassy-jerusalem-may/>.

WIlliams, P 2018, 'Trump's embassy opening in Jerusalem is a warm embrace for Israel but a strategic blow for Palestinian hopes,' ABC News 15 May, viewed 19 May 2018, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-14/us-embassy-jerusalem-blow-for-palestinians/9758562>.

Wilner, M 2017, 'Trump announces US moving embassy to Jerusalem,' Jerusalem Post 6 December, viewed 19 May 2018, <https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/WATCH-LIVE-Trump-delivers-much-anticipated-announcement-about-Jerusalem-517201>.

# data[].attributes.body
This social movement began in response to the announcement made by the United States that there will be a movement of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from its existing location of Tel Aviv.

# data[].attributes.body
The Age published the article linked on the 15th of May describing the lives lost and Trump's plans to leave the embassy in its new location. This article includes opinions from Australia's former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, who recommends that "Australia follow the U.S. lead" and move our embassy to Jerusalem. In response Malcolm Turnbull has said this will not happen.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Updated May 15, 2018 07:43:22

Israeli troops shot dead dozens of Palestinians on the Gaza border as the United States opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, a move that has fuelled Palestinian anger and drawn foreign criticism for undermining peace efforts.

It was the bloodiest single day for Palestinians since the Gaza conflict in 2014.

Palestinian Health Ministry officials said at least 55 people were killed and more than 2,200 injured either by live gunfire, tear gas or other means during protests on the border.

The bloodshed drew calls for restraint from some countries including France and Britain, and stronger criticism from others, with Turkey calling it "a massacre".

The Israeli military said it was responding to violence from the protesters to defend Israel's border.

In contrast to the scenes in Gaza, Israeli dignitaries and guests attended a ceremony in Jerusalem to open the US embassy following its relocation from Tel Aviv.

The move fulfilled a pledge by US President Donald Trump, who in December recognised the holy city as the Israeli capital.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Mr Trump for "having the courage to keep [his] promises".

"What a glorious day for Israel," Mr Netanyahu said in a speech.

"We are in Jerusalem and we are here to stay."

Mr Trump, in a recorded message, said he remained committed to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

He was represented at the ceremony by his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, US envoy to the Middle East.

But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the US had opened an "American settlement outpost in East Jerusalem".

He called the deaths in Gaza a massacre and announced a general strike on Tuesday.

The decision to move the US embassy has been opposed by many in the international community who fear recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital jeopardises prospects for a two-state solution.

The clashes came on the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding, with loudspeakers on Gaza mosques urging Palestinians to join a "great march of return".

"Today is the big day when we will cross the fence and tell Israel and the world we will not accept being occupied forever," said Gaza science teacher Ali, who declined to give his last name.

"Many may get martyred today, so many, but the world will hear our message. Occupation must end."

The 52 deaths included six people under 18 years of age, including one girl.

United Nations human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein called for those responsible for the killings to be brought to account.

The Israeli military said the Hamas terrorist group, which runs Gaza, was using civilians as cover to breach the fence.

It said it killed three people trying to plant an explosive device near the border fence and launched airstrikes on Hamas positions after its troops came under fire.

US hails 'long-overdue' embassy move

The killings drew international criticism, but the US echoed Israel in accusing Gaza's ruling Hamas movement of instigating violence, an allegation it denies.

Jason Greenblatt, Mr Trump's Middle East peace envoy, said on Twitter that "taking the long-overdue step of moving our embassy is not a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace deal. Rather, it is a necessary condition for it."

But Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said Mr Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December and the relocation of the embassy were "blatant violations of international law".

The Palestinians, who want their own future state with its capital in East Jerusalem, have been outraged by Mr Trump's shift from previous administrations' preference for keeping the US embassy in Tel Aviv pending progress in peace efforts.

Those talks have been frozen since 2014.

Other international powers have been worried the US move would inflame Palestinian unrest in the occupied West Bank, which Israel captured along with East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war.

Israeli Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog said he was adamantly supportive of a two-state solution, namely the creation of a Palestinian state side-by-side with Israel.

"A demilitarised state where we enjoy full peace and security - and security is a must," he said.

"Our security interest must be met under such a deal.

"Right now it looks far away, but I think the Palestinian political system, which is right now bust, has to pick up its act and move forward."

Israel's military warns Palestinians via leaflets

Israel's military dropped leaflets into the enclave on Monday, warning Palestinians "not to serve as a tool of Hamas" or approach or damage Israel's frontier fence.

But thousands of Palestinians massed at five locations along the line.

Of the people wounded by Israeli gunfire, four were journalists, officials said.

The Israeli military said its troops were defending the border and firing in accordance with the rules of engagement.

"We are prepared to face the Hamas threats to disrupt the [embassy] festivities," Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted.

"My recommendation to the residents of Gaza: Don't be blinded by [Hamas's Gaza leader, Yehya Al-] Sinwar, who is sending your children to sacrifice their lives without any utility.

"We will defend our citizens with all measures and will not allow the fence to be crossed."

The 'march of return' protests are scheduled to culminate on Tuesday, the date Palestinians mourn as the "Nakba" or "Catastrophe" when, in 1948, hundreds of thousands of them were driven out of their homes or fled the fighting around Israel's creation.

"Choosing a tragic day in Palestinian history [to open the Jerusalem embassy] shows great insensibility and disrespect for the core principles of the peace process," Mr Hamdallah wrote.

Most countries say the status of Jerusalem - a sacred city to Jews, Muslims and Christians - should be determined in a final peace settlement and that moving their embassies now would prejudge any such deal.
ABC/Reuters
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, territorial-disputes, world-politics, foreign-affairs, israel, palestinian-territory-occupied, united-states

First posted May 14, 2018 22:02:24

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Israeli forces kill dozens in Gaza amid protests over US embassy opening

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Israeli troops kill dozens of Palestinians and wound more than 2,000 more amid protests on the Gaza border as the United States opens its embassy in Jerusalem, a move that has fuelled Palestinian anger and drawn foreign criticism for undermining peace efforts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
JERUSALEM - The historic opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem on Monday seals the Trump administration's recognition of the holy, and hotly contested, city as the capital of Israel.

For many Jewish Israelis, the move is a long overdue expression of reality in the city. But the recognition upends decades of American foreign policy and an international consensus that holds that it prejudges negotiations over the final status of the city. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem, with its holy sites sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews, as the capital of a future Palestinian state and vehemently oppose the American decision.

The Talmud teaches that "10 measures of beauty were given to the world; Jerusalem received nine while the rest of the world received one."

Earthly Jerusalem is complicated. Here are nine things worth knowing about the city.

It All Began in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv was the first seat of government for the embryonic State of Israel.

Under the United Nations partition plan of 1947 to create a Jewish state and an Arab state from Mandatory Palestine, Jerusalem, with its holy sites, was designated as a "corpus separatum" - a separate, international entity under the auspices of the United Nations. Zionist forces conquered West Jerusalem during the 1948 war, after five Arab armies attacked the newly declared state. The Arab, eastern part of the city came under Jordanian control.

West Jerusalem, which had been under siege during the hostilities, was not set up to serve as a capital and remained a relative backwater. There was no mention of Jerusalem in the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel signed by the state's founders on May 14, 1948, in the old Tel Aviv Museum.

David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, instructed Parliament to transfer its operations to Jerusalem only in December 1949, after the General Assembly of the United Nations began debating how to carry out its partition plan. Citing 3,000 years of Jewish history in the city, Mr. Ben-Gurion declared Jerusalem to be an inseparable part of the State of Israel and its eternal capital.

A Work in Progress

A report issued on Sunday by Israel's state comptroller, the government watchdog, chided the government for failing to carry out its own development plans going back to 2005 to strengthen Jerusalem.

One goal was moving about 140 branches of 25 government ministries and offices to Jerusalem, along with their 2,700 employees. These include branches of the prime minister's office and the ministries of health, finance, transportation, culture and sports, education and welfare. The decision was made 11 years ago.

A 2015 deadline for the move was missed and reset for 2019. The state comptroller, Yosef Shapira, a retired judge, said that, too, was unlikely to be met.

"In order to bring about a significant change in the status of Jerusalem, it is not enough to make solemn declarations, but actions must be taken," Mr. Shapira wrote.

The report was released to mark the 51st anniversary, according to the Hebrew calendar, of Israel's capture of East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war.

Who Lives in Jerusalem?

Jerusalem, the largest city in Israel, has a population of close to 900,000, about 10 percent of the total number of residents of Israel, according to the latest figures released by the national Central Bureau of Statistics.

Jews make up 62.3 percent of the city's population, down from 69.5 percent 20 years ago. The Palestinian population has grown to 37.7 percent from 30.5 percent in 1998.

Still, experts say Jews have been the largest religious group in the city for the last 150 years. Given the high birthrate among strictly Orthodox Jews, the character of Jewish Jerusalem is changing.

Of 77,000 pupils in the city's Hebrew-language elementary schools, about 50,000 are now studying in the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, system, which is ambivalent, at best, about Zionism. About 14,000 study in modern Zionist Orthodox schools. Only about 13,000 study in secular schools.

Not All Jerusalemites Are Israelis

After Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 war, it vastly expanded the city boundaries and set about building huge Jewish housing developments in the newly won territory, which most of the world considers occupied. About 200,000 Israeli Jews now live in those neighborhoods, or settlements, among at least 320,000 Palestinians.

The vast majority of East Jerusalem's Palestinian inhabitants are permanent residents of Israel, can work anywhere in the country and are eligible for Israeli social benefits. But they are not full citizens of Israel.

While the Palestinian residents may apply for citizenship, few do for political reasons and even fewer are approved.

"One could argue that Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem is largely 'hollow,'" Amnon Ramon, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, an independent think tank, wrote in a 2017 paper marking 50 years of the 1967 war. "It relates, first and foremost, to territory," he added, "not to the people who reside there."

The Unfinished War

The day after the United States Embassy opens in Jerusalem, Palestinians will mark the 70th anniversary of what they call the Nakba, or the catastrophe, of 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes in what is now Israel and became refugees.

By the end of 1949, about 40 Palestinian villages in the Jerusalem area, with a total population of more than 70,000, were emptied of their inhabitants. About 45,000 Palestinians lost their homes in urban areas on the west side of the city, according to the Palestine Liberation Organization's Negotiations Affairs Department.

"We are still living that Nakba," said Fuad Hallaq, the department's Jerusalem adviser, during a recent tour of the area around the new embassy.

An Economic Divide

About 76 percent of the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem live below the poverty line compared with about 23 percent of Jewish residents. In the Arab neighborhoods, the average monthly income is 40 percent lower per person than in the Jewish neighborhoods of the city.

Churches and Real Estate

According to a study by Israel Kimchi of the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Studies, the churches in Jerusalem hold some 5,000 dunams (approximately 1,235 acres) of land in prime areas of the city, including in the so-called Holy Basin around the Old City and in prestigious neighborhoods like Rehavia, Nayot and Talbieh.

Deals were made to transfer the rights to the land where the Israeli Parliament and the president's official residence are, but according to Mr. Ramon, the researcher, part of Parliament's grounds may still be church property.

In recent years, he said, private promoters and companies have managed to buy land, or lease rights for an additional 200 years, from Christian bodies, particularly the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, leading to some uncertainty in the real estate market.

Diplomatic Maneuvers

For a period in the 1960s and '70s, about 18 foreign embassies were in Jerusalem, mostly representing African and Latin American countries. El Salvador and Costa Rica were the last of the group to leave the city, in 2006, reopening their embassies in Tel Aviv. Now, Guatemala, which moved to the Tel Aviv area in 1980, when Israel passed a law formalizing the unification of Jerusalem and effectively annexing the eastern part, is relocating to Jerusalem on Wednesday. Several other countries have announced their intention to move back.

Name Recognition: Team Trump

The Beitar Jerusalem Football Club, a symbol of the city founded in 1936 that has long been linked with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and is notorious for episodes of racism and violence, announced on Sunday that it was changing its name to Beitar "Trump" Jerusalem. "President Trump has displayed courage, vision and true love for the people of Israel and their capital," the soccer club said in a statement.

In December, Israel's minister for transportation, Israel Katz, said he wanted to put Mr. Trump's name on a proposed new train station in the Old City.

Myra Noveck contributed research.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
9 Things to Know About Jerusalem as U.S. Embassy Opens

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
JERUSALEM - The historic opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem on Monday seals the Trump administration's recognition of the holy, and hotly contested, city as the capital of Israel. For many Jewish Israelis, the move is a long overdue expression of reality in the city.

# data[].attributes.headline
Characteristics of this  Social Movement

# data[].attributes.subject
Characteristics of this  Social Movement

# data[].attributes.body
There are traits to this movement which are indicative of a social movement. These characteristics include:
* A group action (the group is Palestinians)
* Focus on a political issue (the relocation of the U.S. embassy)
* Resist to a undo a change

# data[].attributes.body
These are estimated statistics:
* At least 58 Palestinians have reportedly been killed

* 2,700 Palestinians wounded

# data[].attributes.body
* In response to the mass attempt by Palestinians to cross the border which separates Israel and Gaza, Israeli soldiers have responded with fire.

* A White House spokesman faulted Hamas for the violence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Updated May 14, 2018 13:36:41

Israel has kicked off festivities to celebrate the opening of the new United States embassy in Jerusalem, even as it bolstered its forces along the Gaza border and in the West Bank in anticipation of mass Palestinian protests of the move.

Ahead of the embassy's formal opening at 11pm (AEST), Israel hosted a gala party at its Foreign Ministry with United States President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka, her husband Jared Kushner and other American VIPs.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Mr Trump's "bold decision" in upending decades of US policy by recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"It's the right thing to do," a smiling Mr Netanyahu told the jubilant crowd.

Mr Trump announced his decision on Jerusalem in December, triggering a joyous reaction from Mr Netanyahu's nationalist government.

The move infuriated the Palestinians, who claim Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas halted ties with the Trump administration and declared it unfit to remain in its role as the sole mediator in peace talks.

Mass protests planned in Gaza

The rival Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, has been staging a series of weekly demonstrations against a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the territory.

Those protests are to climax today, with tens of thousands of people expected to gather along the Israeli border in an event timed to coincide with the US embassy move.

Hamas has signalled that large crowds, numbering perhaps in the thousands, might try to break through the border fence to realise the "right of return" to lost homes.

Both the embassy move and the protests have symbolic timing. Mr Trump has said the opening is meant to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment.

The Palestinian protests also mark the date as the anniversary of their "naqba," or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of people fled or were forced from their homes during the war surrounding the event.

About two-thirds of Gaza's 2 million people are descendants of Palestinian refugees.

A mass border breach could trigger potentially lethal Israeli force.

Forty-two Palestinians have been killed and over 1,800 have been wounded by Israeli fire since the weekly protests began on March 30.

The United Nations, European Union and rights groups have accused Israel of using excessive force against unarmed protesters.

Israel says it is protecting a sovereign border and accuses Hamas of using the unrest to plan and carry out attacks.

Marchers have thrown stones and burned tyres at the fence and flown flaming kites over it to try to set Israeli fields on fire.

Gaza border gate closed

On Friday, a Palestinian crowd attacked the main cargo crossing between Israel and Gaza, disrupting shipments of cooking fuel, gasoline and building materials, and causing millions of dollars in damage.

Israeli officials said it could take weeks or months to repair the crossing.

"Unfortunately, the crossing is closed today and will remain closed until the foreseeable future due to severe damage caused by Palestinian rioters," said Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman.

"It is still unclear how long it will take to fix and replace the necessary parts."

The Israeli military announced that it bolstered forces on the Gaza border with combat battalions, special units, intelligence forces and snipers.

Israeli warplanes also dropped leaflets in Gaza, urging residents to stay far from the fence.

"You deserve a better government. You deserve a better future," the leaflets said.

"Do not approach the security fence, nor participate in the Hamas display that is putting you in risk."

A high-ranking delegation of Gaza's Hamas rulers has headed to Egypt, amid diplomatic efforts aimed at containing the mass rally.

But one of the Hamas participants, Khalil al-Hayya, said there were no breakthroughs and the march would go on as planned today.

The army said it was also reinforcing its troops in the West Bank with several combat battalions and intelligence units in case of possible unrest there as well.

'Jerusalem Day'

Sunday's celebrations coincided with Israel's "Jerusalem Day," the 51st anniversary of what it refers to the city's "unification" during the 1967 Mideast war.

Israel immediately annexed east Jerusalem - home to the city's most sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites - in a move that has not received international recognition.

The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

In an annual ritual, tens of thousands of Israelis marched through Jerusalem's Old City to mark the day. Revellers sang, danced and waved Israeli flags.

'Thank you President Trump'

In a reflection of the deep sensitivities, dozens of countries - including Britain, France and Germany - skipped Sunday night's celebration at the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Mr Netanyahu, who frequently clashed with president Barack Obama, has found a welcome partner in Mr Trump.

The new administration has lined up solidly behind Mr Netanyahu in his dealings with the Palestinians and delighted him last week when it withdrew from the international nuclear deal with Iran, Mr Obama's top foreign policy achievement.

Addressing the crowd on Sunday evening, Mr Netanyahu said Israelis would be "eternally grateful" for Mr Trump's decision on Jerusalem.

"Thank you, President Trump, for your bold decision. Thank you for making the alliance between Israel and the United States stronger than ever," he said.

Mr Netanyahu said Mr Trump's decision recognised a 3,000-year Jewish connection to Jerusalem and the "truth" that Jerusalem will be Israel's capital under any future peace deal.

"It's been the capital of our state for the past 70 years. It will remain our capital for all time," he said.

Mr Kushner and Ms Trump sat in the front row near Mr Netanyahu during the ceremony, but did not speak.

Mr Netanyahu called their presence a "national and international statement" that "touches our hearts".

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Mr Trump was fulfilling a key campaign promise by moving the embassy.

"The United States has no greater partner than Israel," he said.

Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, a liberal pro-Israel group in the US, expressed concern that the embassy move would backfire.

He accused the White House of putting the interests of a small group of hardliners ahead of the larger interest of promoting peace with the Palestinians.

"Making a move like this removes the US as a credible mediator," he said.

The Palestinian ambassador to Washington sharply condemned the relocation of the US Embassy in a statement.

"Tragically, the US administration has chosen to side with Israel's exclusivist claims over a city that has for centuries been sacred to all faiths," Husam Zomlot said.
AP
Topics: world-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, donald-trump, israel, palestinian-territory-occupied, united-states

First posted May 14, 2018 10:04:53

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Israel kicks off US embassy celebrations with party attended by Ivanka Trump

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Updated May 14, 2018 13:36:41 Israel has kicked off festivities to celebrate the opening of the new United States embassy in Jerusalem, even as it bolstered its forces along the Gaza border and in the West Bank in anticipation of mass Palestinian protests of the move.

# data[].attributes.body
This news article was published on the 15th of May and describes the "excessive force" the Israeli government have used in response to the protesters who have been labelled as "murderous rioters".

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Gaza has had its bloodiest day in years on Monday after Israeli forces shot and killed 58 Palestinians and wounded at least 1,200 as tens of thousands protested along the frontier against the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

The violent scenes on Monday contrasted sharply with the glossy inauguration of Washington's new mission about 60 miles away in an affluent Jerusalem neighbourhood. The US president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, celebrated the opening to clapping and cheering from American and Israeli VIPs.

In Gaza's hospitals, dozens of casualties were in a critical condition, and medics said the dead included a 14-year-old boy. There were reports that a man in a wheelchair who had been pictured using a slingshot had also been killed.

The sky was blackened with thick smoke as protesters lit tyres. Intermittent sniper fire was heard and crowds of protesters were seen rushing towards the fence, although Israel's military said none had managed to breach it.

Fury and desperation at Trump's December declaration on the embassy helped to ignite the six-week protest movement. To international condemnation, Israeli snipers have regularly fired on demonstrators in past rallies. Monday's shootings raised the total deaths close to 100 and made it the bloodiest day in the coastal enclave since the 2014 war.

Gaza's rulers Hamas has fought three conflicts with Israel but say they support peaceful ideals advocated by civilian protest leaders.

Donald Trump,who had tweeted that Monday was a "great day for Israel", did not attend the embassy opening but spoke in a video message, saying he extended "a hand in friendship to Israel, the Palestinians and to all of their neighbours. May there be peace."

Amnesty International criticised the bloodshed as "another horrific example of the Israeli military using excessive force and live ammunition in a totally deplorable way".

At the ceremony in Jerusalem, Washington's ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, stood on a stage painted with the US flag and said:"Today's historic event is attributed to the vision, courage, and moral clarity of one person to whom we owe an enormous and eternal debt of gratitude: President Donald J Trump." The crowd cheered and gave a standing ovation.

The only direct reference to the bloodshed came from Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who said: "As we have seen from the protests of the last month and even today those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution."

In Washington, the White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah was repeatedly challenged to condemn the Israeli response. "We believe Hamas is responsible for these tragic deaths," he told reporters. "Their rather cynical exploitation of the situation is what's leading to these deaths and we want it stopped."

Israel has portrayed the protests as a terrorist ploy by Hamas. Naftali Bennett, Israel's education minister, told Israel Radio that anyone who approached the fence would be considered a terrorist. A foreign ministry spokesman labelled protesters "murderous rioters".

The army said it had almost doubled the number of troops surrounding Gaza and in the occupied West Bank on Monday.

The Israel Defence Forces said in a statement: "The rioters are hurling firebombs and explosive devices towards the security fence and IDF forces, and are burning tires, throwing rocks and launching flaming objects in order to ignite fires in Israeli territory and harm IDF troops."

Q&A
What will US recognition of Jerusalem mean for the peace process?

The peace process has been at death's door since the former secretary of state John Kerry's peace mission ended in failure in 2014. But the international community - apart from the US - is united in saying recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is disastrous for any hopes of reviving meaningful talks. The status of Jerusalem is one of the pivotal issues that diplomats and peacemakers have said must be agreed between the two parties in negotiations.

Palestinians will see Trump's announcement as the end of their hopes and demands for East Jerusalem as a capital of a future independent state. While few want a return to violence, many will feel diplomatic efforts have got them no closer to a state of their own.

The Israeli government will be thrilled. Ever since it captured (and later annexed) East Jerusalem in the 1967 six-day war, Israel has claimed the city as its "eternal and undivided" capital, and has longed for international recognition. Some 200,000 Israelis living in illegal settlements will also celebrate.

Was this helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Israel's military said its troops had killed three "terrorists" attempting to place an explosive device adjacent to the fence in the southern area of the strip "under the cover of violent riots".

Hamas has encouraged and funded the protests and said it would not stop people from attempting to break the metal fence. Loudspeakers at the frontier called for people to push through as Israeli drones dropped teargas on the crowds.

Until this week, no Israeli had been harmed since protests began on 30 March. An IDF spokesman, Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, said one soldier had been "slightly wounded by shrapnel" on Monday but he did not have details on the source of the injury.

No one had crossed the fence despite several attempts, Conricus said. "Our troops have not taken any sustained direct fire," he added.

Protest organisers have called for an end to a decade-old Israeli-imposed blockade, and for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to be allowed to return to their ancestral homes.

Mosques in Gaza called for people to protest as a general strike was observed. Buses ferried residents to the perimeter. Black clouds billowed from piles of burning tyres - which organisers say are used as a smokescreen against Israeli snipers. People have been shot tens of metres from the fence.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest

Palestinians run for cover from teargas during clashes with Israeli security forces. Photograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

"I'm here because of our land that we want back. We have nothing to lose," said 25-year-old Mohammed Nabieh, who said he was the descendant of refugees from a village near the Israeli city of Ashdod. "Nobody cares about us. Why should we wait to die slowly?"

Large protests also took place throughout the occupied West Bank and inside Jerusalem at the same time as the embassy event.

Trump's Jerusalem recognition dismayed Palestinians, who see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The holy city has been one of the most contentious issues in past negotiations, and broad international consensus has been that its status will be settled under a peace deal, although Trump has said Jerusalem is now "off the table".

About 800 people attended the inauguration ceremony for the Jerusalem embassy. US ambassador Friedman, has moved his office from Tel Aviv into what had been a US consulate building.

Many Israelis have praised the decision to move the diplomatic mission. The Friends of Zion Museum has put up posters in Jerusalem saying: "Make Israel Great Again" and US flags have been hung from buildings in the city.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest

Palestinians set tyres on fire near Gaza-Israel border in Khan Yunis, Gaza. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Netanyahu said Monday was a "glorious day". "Remember this moment. This is history. President Trump, by recognising history you have made history," he said to applause.
Topics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Israel faces outcry over Gaza killings during Jerusalem embassy protests

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Gaza has had its bloodiest day in years on Monday after Israeli forces shot and killed 58 Palestinians and wounded at least 1,200 as tens of thousands protested along the frontier against the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

# data[].attributes.body
* The entire embassy will not be moved to Jerusalem in one day.
* The process to fully relocate the embassy will be very costly and could take years.
* Certain offices will be moved to the Jerusalem embassy first. These offices include the U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.

# data[].attributes.headline
Snippet of the official opening of the embassy in Jerusalem

# data[].attributes.subject
Snippet of the official opening of the embassy in Jerusalem

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ivanka Trump officially opens US embassy in Jerusalem

# data[].attributes.body
2017:
*Donald Trump said the U.S. recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6

*Trump announces the U.S.' intentions to move the embassy to Jerusalem on December 6

2018:
*Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed the arrangement to move the embassy to Jerusalem on February 22

*The U.S. announce that the embassy will be moved to Jerusalem by May in time to mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's independence on February 23

*Weekly protests began on March 30

* U.S. embassy opens on May 14. There is an official celebration.

* Bloodiest day since the War with 58 Palestinians and at least 1,200 wounded

*More than 10,000 Moroccans chanting "death to Israel" took to the streets on May 20

# data[].attributes.headline
How have individuals been spreading their message? 

# data[].attributes.subject
How have individuals been spreading their message? 

# data[].attributes.body
The Palestinian individuals began with protests, however these protests have escalated to riots. To spread their values behind the social movement, there is a reliance on the media coverage to the world. Individuals in the riots have:
* Hurled firebombs and other explosive devices towards the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF)
* Burnt tires
* Launched flaming objects to ignite fire in Israeli territory

# data[].attributes.body
This news article which featured in The New York Times on 20th of May outlines the protest of more than 10,000 Moroccans against the movement of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
CASABLANCA, Morocco - More than 10,000 Moroccans chanting "death to Israel" took to the streets of Casablanca on Sunday to protest the United States' decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

The marchers carried Palestinian flags and placards that called Jerusalem "Palestine's eternal capital." Most appeared to be Islamists, with women wearing head scarves and marching separately from the men.

The United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, relocating it from Tel Aviv - a move that reversed decades of United States policy, delighted Israel and infuriated Palestinians.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest obstacles to forging a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, who with broad international backing want East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, as their capital.

Israel regards all of the city, including the eastern sector it annexed after the 1967 conflict, as its capital. The Trump administration has said the city's final borders should be decided by the parties.

On the day the United States opened its new embassy - the 70th anniversary of the formation of Israel - Israeli troops killed 60 Palestinian demonstrators near the border in Gaza.

It was the bloodiest day in Gaza since demonstrations began nearly two months ago in protest of Israel's economic blockade of the territory. A mass attempt by Palestinians to cross the border fence separating Israel from Gaza was met with rifle fire from Israeli soldiers.

Protests against the embassy move were also held that day on the West Bank.

The Casablanca demonstration on Sunday was called by a coalition of four parties including the Islamist opposition group Al Adl Wal Ihsane, or Justice and Charity, which is considered Morocco's most powerful opposition group in terms of rallying supporters on the street.

Mr. Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December, though administration officials said this month that the American ambassador to Israel would not yet work permanently out of his new office there. Instead the ambassador, David M. Friedman, will split his time between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, allowing him to continue to host officials whose countries oppose the American embassy move.

Most of the international community is against the move, but Guatemala, Paraguay and Honduras are relocating their embassies to Jerusalem.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Over 10,000 Moroccans Protest U.S. Embassy Move to Jerusalem

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
CASABLANCA, Morocco - More than 10,000 Moroccans chanting "death to Israel" took to the streets of Casablanca on Sunday to protest the United States' decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. The marchers carried Palestinian flags and placards that called Jerusalem "Palestine's eternal capital."

# data[].attributes.body
This social movement is a reformative social movement as Palestinians began this movement in opposition to the movement of the U.S. embassy and in an attempt to reclaim the U.S. embassy.