Israeli military said it was deploying reinforcements to the occupied West Bank after US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The military said that upon the conclusion of the general staff’s situation assessment, it was decided that a number of battalions will reinforce in the area of the West Bank, as well as combat intelligence and territorial defence.
At least 31 Palestinians were wounded in clashes in the Gaza Strip and across the occupied West Bank. Islamist group Hamas has already called for a new intifada, or uprising. In a related development, Jibril Rajoub, a senior member of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah has said that US Vice President Mike Pence is not welcome in Palestine during his upcoming regional visit. However, Abbas himself has not made any comments over the visit. On the other hand, the White House has warned that cancelling a planned meeting between Abbas and Pence would be counterproductive.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is deeply concerned by Donald Trump’s decision, the Kremlin said in a statement. In a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin called for the Palestinians and Israel to “hold back” and renew negotiations.
On the other hand, facing global condemnation on the issue of recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, the White House has defended the decision of President Donald Trump.White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that US is committed to the peace process as ever, and want to continue to push forward in those conversations and those discussions.
When asked whether any other country is planning to follow the US in this regard, Sanders said, she is not aware of any country’s commitment to follow suit on this.
United States today issued a worldwide caution to its citizens travelling overseas. The State Department’s travel advisory includes South Asia in particular Afghanistan and Pakistan in addition to the Muslim-majority countries.
