Palestinians Protest Opening Of US Embassy In Jerusalem
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JERUSALEM (CBSMiami) - The United States is set to open a new embassy in Jerusalem tomorrow on Monday, a city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians as their capital.
On Sunday, people sang and danced in the streets to recognize Jerusalem Day.
White House senior advisor Jared Kushner and his wife, President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka are part of the U.S. delegation that will attend the dedication ceremony.
Last December the president broke with decades of U.S. policy and decided to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for recognizing the city as Israel's capital.
"President Trump is making history, we are deeply grateful," he said.
Israelis living near the new embassy are also grateful.
"We thank America and we thank Trump," said Deborah Spinner.
The Holy City of Jerusalem is important to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Palestinians also claim the city and have been protesting for weeks.
Palestinian leaders say Trump's decision hurts any chance of the U.S. negotiating peace in the Middle East.
"It ended from our point of view the role of the United States as the broker, the owner of the peace process," said Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Last week protesters in Gaza set fires. Palestinians are getting ready for another massive protest Monday near the border with Israel.