Syrians in Aleppo protest Trump’s Jerusalem decision

Hundreds of people rallied in Aleppo on Friday, to demonstrate against US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

One protester said that Trump had “opened the gates to hell”, arguing that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Palestine and that “without Jerusalem there is no Palestinian state.”

Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Wednesday in a live televised address from Washington DC. He also began the process of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv.

The decision caused immediate outrage and fury from countries in the Islamic world. The status of the Holy City is a contentious issue in the Middle East peace process. Israel has always claimed Jerusalem as its capital while Palestinians demand that annexed East Jerusalem becomes the capital of a future Palestinian state.