idf palestinian
© ReutersPalestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem (pictured) today while there were also confrontations in the West Bank cities of Hebron, Bethlehem and Ramallah in the wake of Donald Trump's new stance on Jerusalem
It has been two days since Trump's Jerusalem decision. Immediately after the announcement, Palestinians took to the streets to protest. Protests are ongoing in Afghanistan, Jordan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Egypt. The decision was bound to result in violence. U.S. troops were put on "notice to move" alert in Afghanistan in anticipation of violence breaking out. The Iraqi PMU said U.S. troops themselves were at risk of attacks. But as usual, Palestinians were the first to suffer the effects.

Earlier today, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced that 104 Palestinian protesters had been wounded in clashes with Israeli occupation forces: 4 with regular bullets, 18 with rubber bullets, 70+ with tear gas. A producer for RT, Amzhad Shahin, was taken to the hospital after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli military. Later, that number was raised to 245 injured, 11 from live fire. Thirty-year-old Mohammad al-Masri was killed east of Khan Younis. A second death was initially reported, but hasn't yet been confirmed. The Israelis confirmed they shot two people, accusing them of being the "main instigators" of "violent riots" (i.e., rock-throwing).



Also as predicted, Israel has "retaliated" for the failed "rocket" attack launched from Gaza:
Israel's armed forces have deployed a tank and an aircraft against two military posts in the Gaza Strip, allegedly in retaliation for earlier rocket attacks originating from the area.

"In response to... projectiles fired at Israel throughout the day... an IDF tank and an IAF aircraft targeted two military posts in the Gaza Strip. The IDF holds Hamas responsible for the hostile activity perpetrated against Israel from the Gaza Strip," a statement issued by IDF and cited by Press TV said.

The attack resulted in zero human casualties, as both posts were apparently unmanned during the Israeli assault.

According to Reuters, the responsibility for the launches was claimed by Al-Tawheed Brigades - a jihadist group based in Gaza which does not heed Hamas' call to abstain from rocket attacks.
According to the Israelis, the first two rockets landed in Gaza, but a third exploded in southern Israel (no casualties).

So far, the Israelis haven't introduced any restrictions on access to the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. If they do, that will just escalate things further.

If this is part of Trump's "grand plan" for the "deal of a century", it's difficult to see what exactly he's planning, or how it could work. The Palestinians say they won't work with the Americans now. So what can Trump possibly offer to them when he has essentially taken the side of the Israelis, in opposition to both Palestine and international law? Reports suggest the Trump team is hoping for a "cooling off" period, with Trump insisting that decisions on territory and the "final status" of Jerusalem will still be determined in negotiations. If true, then the proposed peace plan (yet to be revealed) depends on this cooling-off. If it doesn't happen, the plan will be shelved.

Hopefully the situation will cool down. The Trump decision doesn't change much; it only acknowledges what has been known by everyone but left mostly unsaid for decades - that the U.S. is on Israel's side, despite the occasional minor criticism here and there. The fact remains that legally, Jerusalem is not recognized as Israel's capital. Trump saying so doesn't change that. But it does send some bad signals: If the Americans openly take Israel's side on this issue, how can they be seen as an unbiased third-party when it comes to negotiations?

It's always possible Trump is baiting Netanyahu now in order to get concessions from him later. That will require a certain level of fairness from his peace-plan team - Kushner and Greenblatt - but it's hard to see how that can be when they're both Israel-firsters.

So as usual, when it comes to Trump, we're left guessing. Maybe he's got a "yuge" peace plan deal. Maybe this was "stacking the deck" in order to put forward a strong "opening offer", with the possibility of concessions to Palestine and from Israel. Or maybe it will be used by the Israelis once again to demonstrate that the Palestinians "don't want to negotiate". We'll see.

Update

Hundreds more have been injured in clashes. A second death has been confirmed and 3 others remain in critical condition.



The largely mythical Iron Dome allegedly took down a rocket fired from Gaza. Another landed in Sderot, damaging a parked car. Israel retaliated by launching missiles from their fighter jets at a "Hamas training compound" and an "ammo warehouse". Among the 25 injured as a result of the "precision" strikes were 6 children. In IDF-speak, "training compounds" and "ammo warehouses" are usually known by their more common names: houses, schools, hospitals, etc.