Thousands of Palestinians Protest Change in US Policy on Jewish Settlements

Thousands of Palestinians marched throughout the West Bank on Tuesday in what they call "a day of rage" over the recent change in U.S. policy regarding Jewish settlements.

Protesters set tires on fire and threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades.

Demonstrators burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump dressed in Israeli flags and held up a banner declaring Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a partner in war crimes.

No serious injuries were reported. Later Tuesday, two rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza. There was apparently no damage.

Last week, the Trump administration abandoned a 40-year U.S. policy that declared Israeli Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank "inconsistent with international law."

Pompeo said the old policy has not "advanced the cause of peace."

He also said this does not mean the United States is making up its mind at this time about the status of the West Bank, saying that question is part of a final peace deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Trump administration is righting a "historical wrong" by supporting "truth and justice."
 

by via Voice of America - English