Palestinians protesting U.S. President Donald Trump's Dec. 6 declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital barged into and halted a U.S.-coordinated Palestinian marketing workshop in the city of Bethlehem on Tuesday, vandalizing an American diplomatic vehicle as it sped away.
"The Palestinian people came out to forcibly stop this meeting," said protester Ahmed Odeh.
Protesters threw tomatoes at the sports utility vehicle, which had U.S. consular license plates. They also kicked one of its doors and ripped the plastic casing off a side mirror as it drove off under Palestinian police escort from the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce.
Samir Hazboun, the chamber's director, said the digital marketing workshop, which the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem helped organize, was underway when about five protesters barged in.
"We hosted an American expert on this issue," Hazboun said. "Some people who have been trying to express their point of view and protest [against] the American decision regarding Jerusalem and the political situation ... interrupted the workshop and we stopped the workshop."
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office condemned the attack, issuing a statement saying the office "reaffirms its absolute rejection of such behavior, which contradicts Palestinian manners and norms."
A U.S. State Department spokesperson commented on the incident, saying: "The United States opposes the use of violence and intimidation to express political views. This nonpolitical program was one part of long-term U.S. engagement to create economic opportunities for Palestinians.
"Though no one was hurt, the objective was clearly intimidation. The United States absolutely opposes the use of violence and intimidation to express political views."
The U.S.-based lecturer was not a consular staff member and was accompanied by consulate security personnel and some of its Palestinian employees, organizers said. Such incidents against diplomatic staff in Palestinian towns are rare.
Trump's announcement recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital overturned decades of U.S. policy that the city's status should be decided within the framework of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
His declaration was welcomed in Israel but drew universal condemnation from Arab leaders, stirred Palestinian street protests and drew widespread international criticism.
