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Protesters reject Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel
The Associated Press
Posted: Dec 10, 2017 6:04 AM ET
Last Updated: Dec 10, 2017 6:05 AM ET
Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water canons at protesters near the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon on Sunday during a demonstration against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, TV footage showed.
Protesters are seen near the U.S. embassy in Awkar, in east Beirut on Sunday. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters )
Protesters, some of them waving the Palestinian flag, set fires in the street and threw projectiles toward security forces, who had barricaded the main road leading to the U.S. Embassy in the Awkar area north of Beirut in the Awkar area.
Protesters were also seen burning Israeli and U.S. flags and stamping on them.
Addressing the protesters, the head of the Lebanese Communist Party Hanna Gharib declared the United States “the
enemy of Palestine” and the U.S. Embassy “a symbol of imperialist aggression” that must be closed.
Police sprayed water on protesters who tried to climb the embassy’s metal fence.
Lebanon is home to 450,000 Palestinian refugees, nearly 10 per cent of the population.
With files from Reuters
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