JI to hold country-wide protest after US recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital

 

ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) announced a country-wide protest against US President Donald Trump’s announcement to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Thursday.

The religious party announced that a country-wide protest will be held on December 8 against Trump’s decision.

“Trump’s decision is like adding fuel to the fire,” said JI Amir Sirajul Haq.

JI chief Sirajul Haq said Trump has put global peace in danger, adding that the US move is like "putting fuel to a fire".

During a media talk in Islamabad on Thursday morning, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan also condemned the US move, saying, "the Muslim world needs to unite against the move".

He added that "people like Trump don’t consider Muslims humans".

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Khursheed Shah also condemned the US decision during a media talk today. 

United States recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital

Jerusalem is the home of the modern Israeli state, says Trump

The US president on Wednesday recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital - a historic decision that overturns decades of US policy and risks triggering a fresh spasm of violence in the Middle East.

"I have determined that it is time to officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," Trump said from the White House.

"It's the right thing to do."

The declaration calls into question seven decades of deliberate diplomatic ambiguity about the final status of a holy city vociferously claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians.

Outrage

The announcement left many angry US allies and leaders across the Middle East trying to find a measured response and hoping that the tinderbox region is not destined for yet another round of bloodletting.

Pope Francis joined a list of leaders warning of a historic misstep that could trigger a surge of violence.

"I cannot silence my deep concern over the situation that has emerged in recent days," the pontiff said Wednesday, one day after speaking by phone with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Pakistan says US move to shift embassy to Jerusalem violates international law

Pakistan urged the United States to revisit its decision as soon as possible in order to avoid the potentially grave repercussions

The pontiff added that maintaining Jerusalem's status quo was important "in order to avoid adding new elements of tension to an already volatile world that is wracked by so many cruel conflicts."

In a frantic series of calls, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the European Union, France, Germany and Turkey also warned Trump against the move.

Three 'days of rage'

Moving the US embassy will probably take years to implement, but the repercussions of Trump's decision are likely to be swift.

Hundreds of Palestinians burned US and Israeli flags as well as pictures of Trump in the Gaza Strip, while relatively small clashes erupted near the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron.

The Palestinian movement Hamas has threatened to launch a new "intifada," or uprising.

Palestinians called for three days of protests - or "days of rage" - starting Wednesday.

Anticipating protests, US government officials and their families were ordered to avoid Jerusalem's Old City and the West Bank, though the situation remained largely calm Wednesday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the main pan-Islamic body, in Istanbul on December 13 "to display joint action among Islamic countries" over Jerusalem.

"Such a step will only play into the hands of terror groups," Erdogan said at a joint news conference in Ankara after talks with Jordan´s King Abdullah II.

Jordan and the Palestinians also called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League in Cairo.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refrained from commenting on the issue on Wednesday in his first speech since Trump's plan was confirmed.