Israeli police disperse J'lem protest, injuring dozens

JERUSALEM (AA) - Dozens of Palestinians were injured on Friday when Israeli police forcibly dispersed a demonstration in occupied East Jerusalem, according to eyewitnesses.

“Some 200 Palestinians gathered at the entrance of East Jerusalem’s Al-Issawiya neighborhood to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize the city as Israel’s capital,” Amjad Abu Assab, head of the Jerusalem Committee for the Families of Prisoners, an NGO, told Anadolu Agency.

Israeli forces, he said, had dispersed the demonstration with teargas, rubber bullets and stun grenades.

According to Abu Assab, 20 Palestinians were treated at the scene after suffering temporary asphyxia from inhaling excessive amounts of teargas.

On Dec. 6, the U.S. president recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, prompting widespread condemnation across the region and angry demonstrations in the Palestinian territories.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.