Palestinians called for a general strike across the West Bank and east Jerusalem on Tuesday, a day after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence pledged in a speech before the Israeli parliament that the U.S. Embassy in Israel will move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of 2019.
The planned move is in line with U.S. President Donald Trump's Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which dismayed the Palestinians, who claim the eastern part of the city as the capital of their future state.
Trump's decision plunged relations between Washington and Ramallah to a new low and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has even canceled his scheduled meeting with Pence, saying his government was no longer willing to accept the U.S. as a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Though shunned by the Palestinians, the Trump administration says it remains committed to Middle East peace efforts, frozen since 2014.
Palestinian demonstrations protesting Pence's visit were held in Bethlehem and Nablus on Monday. In both locations, protesters shouted anti-Israel and anti-U.S. slogans as they waved crossed-out posters depicting Trump and Pence, and some even burned them.
The strike called for Tuesday sought to further underscore the Palestinians' frustration with what they believe is the Trump administration's blatantly pro-Israeli policies.
East Jerusalem businessman Thafer Sandoka said, "Today we are on strike in a protest against Pence's visit to Palestine, to the Western Wall. In a provocative way yesterday in the Knesset he announced his support to the Zionist side and the Zionist occupation and announced moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem before the end of 2019. Therefore we are on general strike today."
