Protests follow U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital

Across the Arab and Muslim worlds, protesters took to the streets on the Muslim holy day to express solidarity with the Palestinians following the decision of the United States government to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel .

The Israeli army said hundreds of Palestinians were rolling burning tires and throwing rocks at soldiers across the border.

More than 80 Palestinians were wounded in the occupied West Bank and Gaza by Israeli live fire and rubber bullets, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service. Dozens more suffered from tear gas inhalation. Thirty-one were wounded on Thursday.

As Friday prayers ended at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem , worshippers made their way toward the walled Old City gates, chanting “Jerusalem is ours, Jerusalem is our capital” and “We don’t need empty words, we need stones and Kalashnikovs”. Scuffles broke out between protesters and police.

In Hebron , Bethlehem , and Nablus , dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers who fired back with tear gas.

In Gaza , controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, calls for worshippers to protest sounded over mosque loudspeakers.

The United States decision on Wednesday has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies. The status of Jerusalem has been one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for generations.

Israel

considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future independent state of their own.

Most countries consider East Jerusalem , which Israel annexed after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East War , to be occupied territory. It includes the Old City , home to sites considered holy to Muslims , Jews , and Christians alike.

For decades, Washington, like most of the rest of the international community, held back from recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, saying its status should be determined as part of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. No other country has an embassy there.

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