Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Friday 8 december 2017
Palestinians protest Trump move, more unrest feared

Continued from Front Ramallah, the seat of the but warned that individual been weakened by a dec- negotiations on Jerusa-
The Palestinians seek east Palestinian government, attacks were possible. ade-long Israeli blockade lem’s status, it carried deep
Jerusalem, captured by Is- protesters set tires on fire, Israeli police were consider- and three painful wars with symbolic meaning and was
rael in 1967, as their capital. sending thick plumes of
Israel claims the entire city, black smoke over the city.
including east Jerusalem, Palestinian officials said
home to sensitive Jewish, dozens of protesters were
Muslim and Christian holy slightly wounded, most
sites, as its undivided capi- from tear gas inhalation.
tal. The opposing claims lie Spontaneous protests also
at the heart of the Israeli- took place in Gaza, with
Palestinian conflict and angry youths burning tires,
have often spilled over into American and Israeli flags
deadly violence. and Trump posters.
The Palestinians declared A senior Palestinian official
three “days of rage,” shut- said the Palestinians would
tering schools and busi- not meet with Pence dur-
nesses, and staging angry ing his visit to the region lat-
demonstrations at Damas- er this month when Pence is
cus Gate, one of the en- expected to visit Israel and
trances to Jerusalem’s Old make a stop in the Palestin-
City, and cities across the ian city of Bethlehem. “We
West Bank and Gaza. will not receive him in the
“We are here. We believe Palestinian territories,” said
in our rights and one day the official, Jibril Rajoub.
it (will) become Jerusalem, However, a White House
the capital for the Palestin- official said Pence still plans
ian people,” declared Ra- to meet with Palestinian A woman walks Past a poster praising U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as
Israel’s capital, in Jerusalem, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017.
nia Hatem, a protester out- President Mahmoud Abbas (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
side the Old City. as scheduled and said it
The Israeli military reported would be “counterproduc- ing whether to impose age Israel. seen by the Palestinians as
demonstrations in some 30 tive” to cancel. The official restrictions on worshippers Nonetheless, it still has cells siding with Israel.
locations across the West spoke on condition of ano- at Friday’s prayers, but as in the West Bank and pos- And even if Trump’s move
Bank on Thursday, saying nymity to discuss upcoming of Thursday evening, had sesses a large arsenal of cannot singlehandedly
Palestinians had hurled plans. made no changes. rockets in its Gaza strong- determine Jerusalem’s sta-
stones and firebombs at Israeli security officials were In Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, the hold. Late Thursday, Israeli tus, policies of the U.S., the
troops. A military official, preparing for more unrest Hamas supreme leader, tanks and aircraft attacked lead mediator for over two
speaking on condition of on Friday. In a pre-emptive called on Palestinians to two military posts in Gaza, decades of unsuccessful
anonymity under briefing move, the military said it launch a new uprising. “We following a series of rocket peace talks, carry special
guidelines, said troops were would deploy several bat- want the uprising to last attacks, including one that weight.
instructed to use minimal talions to the West Bank, and continue to let Trump landed in southern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Ben-
force and avoid live fire to while other troops were put and the occupation regret There were no reports of jamin Netanyahu said
avoid escalating tensions. on alert. this decision,” he said. casualties on either side. Trump “bound himself for-
In the West Bank, troops Israeli officials said Friday Hamas, which seeks Israel’s Trump’s decision had no ever” to the history of Jeru-
fired water cannons and prayers at the Al Aqsa destruction, killed hundreds immediate impact on daily salem and maintained oth-
tear gas to disperse a Mosque, along with the ex- of Israelis in suicide bomb- life in Jerusalem, which al- er countries were already
crowd in Bethlehem, the pected unrest in the West ings and other attacks dur- ready is the seat of Israel’s interested in following suit.
biblical town of Jesus’ birth, Bank, would set the tone ing the second Palestinian government. Abbas suggested that
just weeks before thou- for the coming days. uprising in the early 2000s. While Trump insisted that Trump’s move disquali-
sands of foreign tourists Palestinian officials in the However, the Islamic mili- the move was meant to fied the United States from
are expected to visit for West Bank said they had no tant group, which seized acknowledge the current continuing as an exclusive
Christmas celebrations. In interest in bloody violence control of Gaza in 2007, has reality, and not prejudge broker.q
Tillerson says Ukraine key sticking point in US-Russia ties

By JOSH LEDERMAN played down other areas of the Trump campaign elections in the U.S. and Eu- Moscow’s military intrusion
Associated Press of dispute, particularly Rus- colluded with the Russian rope,” and he called it part in eastern Ukraine.
VIENNA (AP) — U.S. Secre- sia’s meddling in the 2016 effort. He has said he be- of an “active threat of a re- “We should be clear about
tary of State Rex Tillerson presidential election. U.S. lieves Russian President cently resurgent Russia.” the source of this violence,”
said Thursday that Ukraine intelligence agencies, in- Vladimir Putin’s personal Tillerson’s focus on Ukraine Tillerson said. “Russia is arm-
was the sole sticking point cluding the CIA and FBI, denials that Moscow med- came as he met with Eu- ing, leading, training and
keeping the United States have concluded the Krem- dled. ropean diplomats at the fighting alongside anti-gov-
and Russia from forging a lin interfered in the election But Tillerson hasn’t shied Organization for Security ernment forces.”
closer relationship, suggest- in an effort to help now- away from accusing the and Cooperation in Eu- Trump campaigned on the
ing that all other disputes President Donald Trump Kremlin of election interfer- rope, established during need to improve ties with
were secondary. and hurt Democrat Hillary ence. One of the Trump the Cold War to serve as Russia, Tillerson said, add-
“The issue that stands in the Clinton. team’s toughest voices on a bridge between East ing that “normalizing” rela-
way is Ukraine,” Tillerson Trump has repeatedly cast Russia, he said in a speech and West. Tillerson insisted tions between the nuclear
said. doubt on that finding, and last week that there was the U.S. could never over- powers was something the
The assessment from Amer- a special counsel is inves- “clear evidence of Russia look Russia’s “attempted U.S. still “badly would like to
ica’s top diplomat notably tigating whether members meddling in democratic annexation” of Crimea or do.”q