Gaza plans million-man demo against ‘Trump Declaration'

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip have called for a "million-man demonstration" on Friday to protest last week’s recognition by the U.S. of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

"We are calling on Gazans to take part in a million-man march for a 'free Jerusalem' on Friday from the Salah al-Din corridor near the southern city of Rafah to the northern city of Beit Hanoun," Khaled al-Batch, a leading member of the Islamic Jihad group, said Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference in Gaza City, al-Batch said the planned march was intended to emphasize Jerusalem's Arab and Muslim identity and the city's religious significance for Muslims worldwide.

He went on to warn that last week's controversial move by the U.S. could represent "a prelude to the annexation of more parts of the [occupied] West Bank by Israel".

"U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital has set America against the peoples of the world," al-Batch said.

"Millions of people in recent days have shown their solidarity with Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause," he added.

Al-Batch also urged leaders of Muslim countries, who met Wednesday in Istanbul for an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit, to "hold the U.S. accountable and force it to reverse its unjust decision".

Last Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.

The shift in longstanding U.S. policy on Jerusalem sparked angry demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories and in several Muslim countries.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- now occupied by Israel -- might eventually serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.

In April, Moscow announced its recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel's capital, expressing hope that the city's eastern half might eventually serve as the capital of an independent state of Palestine.

Trump stressed in his announcement last week that the U.S. administration had yet to take a position regarding "the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem".