Jerusalem is now recognized as the true capital of the Jewish state.
The American embassy in Israel is now in Jerusalem. The move recognizes Jerusalem as the true capital of the Jewish state and the fulfillment of a long-standing promise from several U.S. presidents.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Donald Trump for “making history by recognizing history” at a ceremony dedicating the new US embassy in Jerusalem, while President Reuven Rivlin thanked the U.S. president for “keeping his promise.”
The move comes five months after Trump announced that the U.S. embassy would shift from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The new diplomatic office, in what was an existing U.S. consular building, was opened in a ceremony led by U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and attended by Israeli and American officials.
The day was also marked by violence, with dozens of Palestinians killed and more than 1,600 injured in protests at the Gaza border against the embassy move, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Several thousand people gathered in the center of Ramallah, while hundreds marched to the Qalandiya crossing on the outskirts of Jerusalem, where protesters threw stones at Israeli troops.
The protests were not limited to the border. More than 500 demonstrators rallied near the ceremony clashed with Israeli forces, and police made at least one arrest. Demonstrators chanted “Jerusalem is ours!”