Palestinians to rally after prayers over U.S. Jerusalem move

The Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound is seen from the Mount of Olives on January 13, 2017 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Palestinians are expected to protest en masse across the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip following the Trump administration’s recognition this week of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Israeli police have deployed reinforcements in and around Jerusalem’s Old City ahead of Friday prayers, though Israel hasn’t imposed age restrictions on Muslim worshippers to access Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque, the city’s most sacred Islamic site a measure common during flare-ups of tensions.

Demonstrations in solidarity are also expected across the Middle East and many Muslim nations. In Malaysia, more than 1,000 Muslims have protested outside the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Mr. Trump’s declaration on Jerusalem departed from decades of U.S. policy and upended longstanding international assurances that the fate of the city would be determined in negotiations.