Hundreds in Washington and New York protest US decision on Jerusalem

7 years ago

People attend a demonstration against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, at the Times Square in New York City, United States on December 09, 2017 [Atılgan Özdil / Anadolu Agency]

People attend a demonstration against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, at the Times Square in New York City, United States on 9 December 2017 [Atılgan Özdil / Anadolu Agency]

Hundreds gathered in front of the White House on Friday to protest President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to perform the Islamic Friday prayer.

The nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisations, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and Jews United Against Zionism took their grievances to the US capital.

“This decision exposes what we have been saying for a long time that there is no such a thing as a peace process,” well-known US-based Muslim scholar, Omer Suleiman told Anadolu Agency, adding:

If we are to initiate an honest peace process then the American government has been anything but an honest broker.

However, the fault largely lies on Muslim leaders and Arab leaders, Suleiman said, adding that some of those Arab leaders have secretly aided the Israeli occupation while some have given permission “behind close doors”.

“This is more them, than anyone else’s faults,’ Suleiman continued. “If they were to apply true pressure, if they were to put true red line on Jerusalem, as a man that only thinks of his business interests, Trump would not have had the arrogance to make the announcement that he made.”

Suleiman also claimed that Trump has taken the Jerusalem decision intentionally to distract people from the Russian investigation which is closing on him.

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The controversial decisions angered Muslims throughout the world.

Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss and his followers from Jews United Against Zionism were among those who participated in the demonstration.

While Muslims performed the prayer in front of the White House, Rabbi Weiss and his companions held banners that read:

Torah true Jews in Jerusalem and Worldwide condemn the aggression in Al-Aqsa and the occupation of Palestine…Judaism rejects Zionism and the state of Israel

“This decision on Jerusalem will make everything worse,” Rabbi Weiss told Anadolu Agency. “Trump in his speech said that, he wanted to bring peace. Peace is not by pouring salt to open wound by taking the holy city Jerusalem and declaring it as the capital of unacceptable, illegitimate state according to Jewish religion,” he added.

People attend a demonstration against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, at the Times Square in New York City, US on 9 December 2017 [Mohammed Elshamy / Anadolu Agency]

Describing the decision as more ammunition given to Israel, who bosses over the others in the region, Weiss noted that declaring Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is going to cause further quarrel between Jewish and Muslims.

Protestors chanted against Israel and Trump’s decision on Jerusalem, carried banners reading “Stop the occupation in Palestine now”, “Jerusalem belongs to Palestinians” and “We reject Trump’s decision”.

Thousands protest in Britain against Trump’s Jerusalem announcement

While the international community has almost unanimously disagreed with Donald Trump’s announcement, reports suggest that the announcement was done with the pre-agreement of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with the Saudi Arabia going as far as, allegedly, stating to the Palestinian President to accept a village on the outskirts of Jerusalem as the alternative Palestinian capital.

Since the announcement, Saudi Arabia’s royal court has sent notices to the nation’s media outlets to limit the airtime given to protests against Trump’s announcement.

Emboldened by Trump’s annoucement, Israeli housing Minister Yoav Galant decided on Friday to promote a plan to build 14,000 new settlement units in the occupied Jerusalem.

View: Huge protests in Istanbul in support of Palestinians and Jerusalem

People attend a demonstration against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, at the Times Square in New York City, US on 8 December 2017 [Atılgan Özdil / Anadolu Agency]

A man holds a Israeli flag as people attend a demonstration against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, at the Times Square in New York City, United States on December 09, 2017 [Atılgan Özdil / Anadolu Agency]

A member of a small group of pro-Israelis catcalls the demonstrators from across the street during a demonstration against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, at the Times Square in New York City, United States on December 09, 2017 [Atılgan Özdil / Anadolu Agency]

A woman of pro-Israelis group holds a banner during a demonstration against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, at the Times Square in New York City, United States on December 09, 2017 [Atılgan Özdil / Anadolu Agency]

A group of pro-Israelis wave American and Israeli flags and catcall the demonstrators during a demonstration against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in New York City, US on 9 December 2017 [Atılgan Özdil/Anadolu Agency]