By Abdel Raouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli police on Friday assaulted a group of Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem -- including an Anadolu Agency journalist -- during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent, Israeli police beat a number of Palestinian protesters in and around Jerusalem’s Old City district.
Dozens of demonstrators sustained light injuries, including Anadolu Agency photo-journalists Mahmud Ibrahim and Mustafa Kharuf.
Israeli police also detained three Palestinians, including a journalist.
For the third consecutive Friday, Palestinians staged demonstrations to protest Trump's controversial Dec. 6 decision, which sparked a wave of condemnation and protest from across the Arab and Muslim world.
Since then, 12 Palestinians have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- in clashes with Israeli security forces across the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the perennial Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.