Palestinians plan mass protest as US opens embassy

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A campaign organization has called on residents of occupied Palestinian territories and the diaspora to participate in the One Million Man Demonstration slated for Monday to protest the move of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Higher National Commission of the Great March of Return, an alliance of groups, called for a powerful response to the switch which has triggered outrage and condemnation from leaders in the Middle East and elsewhere.

“Our people have decided to make May 14 a historic day,” commission member Khaled Al-Batsh told a press conference in Gaza City.

He urged the world to reject the moving of the US embassy and to listen to the voice of the Palestinian people.

He asked Palestinians in Jerusalem to gather at the Damascus Gate, the nearest point to the new embassy building, which will be formally opened on Monday.

Members of the Higher National Commission of the “Great March of Return” at a news conference in Gaza City on, May 12, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Despite the hardships of life in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians in the blockaded enclave have been widely concerned about the embassy decision of US President Donald Trump. Mohammed Al-Dureini, a student of political sciences at the al-Azhar University in Gaza, said the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem on what is locally called Nakba (Catastrophe) Day, confirms that the US is Israel’s partner.

“The world must know that the embassy opening Jerusalem means that the US has also occupied our Palestinian lands along with Israel,” he said.

Monday also marks the 70th anniversary of Israel’s Independence. Palestinians refer to it as their day of disaster (Nakba), recalling when more than 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes before the creation of Israel in 1948.

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Redwan in the Gaza Strip, May 12, 2018. /CGTN Photo

In his comments on the controversial embassy move, senior Hamas leader Ismail Redwan told CGTN that May 14 will be a day of curse on Israel and the US. “The US will regret this day”, he said, confirming that Hamas will play a big role in loudly saying “no” to the Trump administration.

For Palestinians, the embassy transfer reveals the real face of America and its neglect of the Palestinians’ right to live in the city.

Furthermore, they say the embassy decision is no cause for celebration because it is pushing the region into more violence and is likely to thwart any peace efforts between the Palestinians and the Israelis.