Hamas calls for Third Intifada as Arab countries unite against Trump

Palestinians have reacted with anger and resentment, after Donald Trump’s proclamation, stating that the US will now recognise Jerusalem/Al-Quds as the Israeli capital.

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian party Hamas, has stated,

“We should call for and we should work on launching an intifada in the face of the Zionist enemy”.

While it is unlikely that a full-scale Intifada will occur at this time, the anger on the streets of Palestine is palpable. Up to 250,000 Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza throughout the evening with other protests throughout the world taking place simultaneously.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned America’s move, saying that it jeopardises the entire peace process and makes the US incapable of acting as a neutral mediator. He stated,

“Trump’s decision violates international resolutions and undermines efforts to achieve peace in the region, and it also represents the US statement of abandoning sponsorship of the peace process”.

Many Palestinians however, felt that Asbbas’s speech was weak and uninspiring. Hamas is certainly trying to exploit this from a political angle by calling for a new Intifada.

The international severity of the current issue, however, means that responses from countries as wide ranging as Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Qatar, Iran, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, will be as important as the internal Palestinian response.

While the Arab and wider Muslim world have been deeply disunited over the last decades, thus far, most of the world has united in opposition to Donald Trump’s already infamous decision. Outside of the Arab and Muslim world, the EU has condemned the move as has the Vatican and numerous Orthodox Churches. Russia and China have also expressed dissatisfaction and deep concerns over a move which threatens to undermine regional peace.

The Secretary General of the United Nations,  Antonio Guterres has also led a global condemnation of the move, saying,

“From day one as a Secretary-General for the United Nations, I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace. Jerusalem is a final status issue that must be resolved through direct negotiations by two parties

In light of the statement today by the President of the United States regarding the status of Jerusalem, the delegations of Bolivia, Egypt, France, Italy, Senegal, Sweden, the UK, and Uruguay kindly request the Presidency to organize an emergency meeting of the Council, with a briefing by the Secretary-General, to be held in the Chamber before the end of this week”.

The Security Council will meet to discuss the subject in several hours.