Weekly update
18 MAY 2018
On May
14 the United States officially opened Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel, 70 years to the day that
President Truman recognized Israel as an independent country, making the United
States the first nation to do so. The White House has proclaimed that “announcing Jerusalem
as Israel’s capital is simply a recognition of reality.”
The Reuters informs, that “the inauguration of the
embassy, after Trump outraged the Arab world and stoked international concern
by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December, was hailed by Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “glorious day”. Thanking Trump for
“having the courage” to move the embassy, Netanyahu said: “This is a great day.
A great day for Jerusalem. A great day for the state of Israel. A day that will
be engraved in our national memory for generations.”
Meantime, the
U.S. move has sparked mass protest among Palestinians. ABC News reports, that “protesters began amassing at the
Gaza border ahead of the embassy ceremony.” According to the Palestinian
authorities, “more than 60 people, including eight children, were killed by the
Israeli military in Palestinian protests that erupted Monday along the Gaza
border as the U.S. opened its new embassy in Jerusalem.”
The Independent writes, that “while the shooting of
mostly unarmed Palestinian protesters at the Gaza border fence received
widespread international condemnation, criticism within the US was muted.
The U.S.
Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, addressing the UN Security Council on Tuesday
said Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, was responsible for the
deaths and injuries. “Let’s remember that the Hamas terrorist organization has
been inciting violence for years, long before the United States decided to move
our embassy.” She added: “This is what is endangering the people of Gaza. Make
no mistake, Hamas is pleased with the results from yesterday.” She has also
claimed, that “no country would act with greater restraint than Israel.”
Prepared by Marina Muradyan
https://acnis.am/en/weekly/18-2018-en