The Dome of the Rock at Al Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem.
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has called on Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro to revoke his decision to relocate the Brazilian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
“We reject the Brazilian president-elect’s decision to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” leading Hamas member Sami Abu Zuhri tweeted Friday.
He went on to describe the Brazilian leader’s decision as “an affront to the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim nation”.
Bolsonaro on Thursday announced his intention to relocate his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem once he formally assumes the presidency.
Israeli police arrested 13 ultra-Orthodox Jews in Bnei Brak city Thursday who were protesting the arrest of a youth who refused to enlist in the army.Mounted police were also deployed, and some protesters narrowly missed being trampled, with some sustaining injuries.The police said in a statement that the protesters were arrested for disturbing public order and blocking roads.Military service is mandatory for most Israelis, although the ultra-Orthodox community has enjoyed exemptions in the past in favor of religious seminary studies.Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up approximately 10 percent of Israel's population and generally reject joining the army.Israeli army rounds up 17 Palestinians in W. Bank raidsNew Egypt ambassador to Israel to assume post next weekIsrael delegation in Chad to discuss strengthening ties
Israeli police arrest 13 ultra-Orthodox Jews
U.S. President Donald Trump sparked a world outcry last December after announcing plans to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel’s capital (which he did earlier this year).
Ever since, the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah has rejected any U.S. role in the moribund Middle East peace process.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas will meet in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh this weekend to discuss recent developments pertaining to Palestine.According to a source close to Abbas, speaking anonymously due to the issue’s sensitivity, the two leaders will meet on the sidelines of an upcoming World Youth Forum slated to kick off Saturday in Sharm El Sheikh.On Thursday, Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Louh said Abbas would arrive in Cairo on Friday afternoon -- at the head of a high-level delegation -- before meeting al-Sisi the following day in Sharm El Sheikh.Abbas’s visit to Cairo will come only days after the Palestinian president visited to Muscat, where he held talks with Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said.At their meeting in Muscat, the two leaders discussed the Palestine-Israel peace process and the recent U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.Palestine-Israel talks broke down in 2014, due largely to Israel’s refusal to stop building Jewish-only settlement units on confiscated Palestinian land.In September, Abbas had expressed his readiness to resume peace talks with Israel, either behind closed doors or in public.On Tuesday, however, PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat said the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority planned to cut relations with Israel in line with an earlier decision by the Palestinian Central Council.Gaza Strip holds drills to prepare for potential crisesIsraeli army rounds up 17 Palestinians in W. Bank raids
Palestine’s Abbas, Egypt’s Sisi to hold talks Saturday