Egypt

Dozens protest at Azhar in support of Palestine, against Trump

Dozens of protesters staged a demonstration for Palestine after Friday prayers at al-Azhar mosque in Cairo.

The protesters chanted slogans condemning the decision of US president Donald Trump proclaiming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In a protest accompanied by an intense presence of security forces, protesters chanted pro-Palestine slogans. The protest approximately lasted 30 minutes.

Members of the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Thursday in favor of a resolution urging the United States to withdraw its decision proclaiming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and planning to move its embassy to the Holy City.

The resolution was supported by 128 countries, with 9 opposing, and 35 abstaining.

Jerusalem’s status is one of the most contentious issues of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians – who had support from Arab and Muslim countries.

The city has holy sites for Muslims, Christians and Jews, especially in East Jerusalem.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and claimed the entire city as its capital. Meanwhile, Palestinians demand East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

The international community does not recognize any Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, and all countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, including the United States of America, Israel’s closest ally.

But the US president asked the State Department to begin work on the transfer of the embassy to Jerusalem.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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