FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Pockets of anger surfaced Sunday [12-10-17] in the Middle East and Asia over the Trump administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but predictions of widespread upheaval failed to materialize as riots petered out in the Palestinian territories.
In a sign of festering regional dissent, protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut on Sunday, with Lebanese security forces firing tear gas and water cannons at demonstrators. Protesters carried Palestinian flags and set fire to tires near the embassy but the unrest had largely calmed by late afternoon.
The decision by the White House last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move its embassy there from Tel Aviv was widely condemned in Lebanon, which hosts about half a million Palestinian refugees—representing roughly 10% of the country’s population…
Arab and Muslim leaders have warned President Donald Trump’s decision could spark a Palestinian uprising against Israel and violence across the Mideast, as well as complicate the peace process.
However, after three days of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces that left four Palestinians dead, the scene Sunday was quieter in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.”
-Rory Jones, “Mideast Tensions Simmer in Wake of U.S. Shift in Israel Policy,” The Wall Street Journal online, Dec. 10, 2017 11:44pm