ISRAEL/MILITARY/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. opened a new embassy in Jerusalem as clashes between Palestinian protestors and Israel’s military left dozens dead, overshadowing a historic moment for Israeli-American relations and adding to the Trump administration’s challenges in Middle East. The ceremony, held in a large tent beside the new embassy site, was attended by top Israeli and American officials who received blue and red hats that read ‘Jerusalem, Israel…’ Some 50 miles away, Israeli military used warplanes to hit targets belonging to Gaza rulers Hamas and fired live ammunition, tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinian protesters near the fence dividing the Gaza Strip with Israel. Gaza officials said 52 protesters were killed—among them a 12- and a 14-year-old—and more than 2,400 were injured. The bloodshed was the culmination of months of tension over President Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, where it has resided since soon after Israel’s 1948 founding. It coincided with a host of politically-charged anniversaries that Hamas have used to rally support for their cause, at a time when some governments in the region have sought better ties with Israel and scaled back aid to the Palestinians. The U.S. Embassy opening in Jerusalem—in a city that Palestinians also claim for a future capital—offered a focal point for Palestinian anger. And the response from the Israeli military produced the largest single day death toll since the Israeli army fought a conflict with Hamas in 2014.”
-Felicia Schwartz and Rory Jones, “Scores Killed as Palestinians Protest U.S. Embassy Opening in Jerusalem,” The Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2018 2:17 pm