Sunnis, Shias decry ‘Trump Declaration’ in Iraq’s Anbar

By Suleiman al-Qubaisi and Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD/KIRKUK (AA) - Sunnis and Shias staged a unified demonstration in Iraq’s western Anbar province on Friday to protest Washington’s recognition this week of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“Hundreds of Anbar residents demonstrated on Friday against [U.S. President Donald] Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy to Israeli-occupied Jerusalem,” Sheikh Abdullah Jalal, head of Anbar’s Sunni Endowment, told Anadolu Agency.

"The people of Anbar call on Arab leaders to stand united against this decision and work towards liberating Jerusalem from Israel’s brutal occupation," he said.

In his Friday sermon, prominent Shia cleric Mohamed al-Khalisi warned against Israeli attempts to "Judaize” Jerusalem and “transform it into the capital of the Zionist entity”.

On Wednesday, the U.S. president announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move Washington’s Israel embassy to the city.

The following day, demonstrations against the move were reported in the occupied Palestinian territories, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria and Iraq.

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