Thousands of Palestinians have staged demonstrations across the occupied West Bank in condemnation of US President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to fulfill an election campaign promise to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds.
Hundreds of demonstrators waved Palestinian flags during a protest in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, situated approximately 49 kilometers north of Jerusalem al-Quds, on Thursday.
They also held signs reading, “Al-Quds is the Key to Peace and War,” and, “Moving the American Embassy is a New Balfour Declaration for Palestinians.”
Nasser Abu Jaish, a member of the Palestinian People’s Party, said the US embassy relocation would be equal to declaration of war on Palestinians as well as Arab and Muslim nations.
“Especially at this time, moving the embassy would confirm that the US administration has decided to end the peace process in the region,” he said.
Protesters in the central West Bank city of Ramallah also voiced their strong opposition to Trump's plan, stressing that Jerusalem al-Quds must be recognized as the capital of the independent Palestinian state.
On January 15, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault warned of “extremely serious consequences” if Trump relocated the US embassy from Tel Aviv, where it has been for 68 years, to the occupied Jerusalem al-Quds.
Earlier, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had warned that any such attempt will destroy the prospects of any political process between the Palestinians and Israel, and fuel extremism across the globe.