Police shove Arab MK to the ground during protest outside new US embassy

Police on Monday arrested 14 left-wing activists who were protesting the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem near the new mission building in the capital’s Arnona neighborhood.

Among the protesters were several Arab members of Knesset, some of whom scuffled with police and one of whom was pushed at one point to the ground by officers.

The detainees “did not keep to the terms that the protesters had agreed upon with police,” a police spokesperson said.

Police said some chanted “Allahu Akbar” during the demonstration.

The protest came as tens of thousands of Palestinians attended violent protests on the Gaza border and hundreds of others clashed with Israeli troops on the outskirts of Jerusalem and in other locations in the West Bank, marking the 70th anniversary of what they call the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” of Israel’s creation in 1948, as well as protesting the embassy relocation.

מהומות השגרירות | ח"כ ג'מאל זחאלקה בעימות עם שוטרים במהלך הפגנה נגד העברת השגרירות בירושלים @samiaah10 pic.twitter.com/N0NfErJMIo

— חדשות 13 (@newsisrael13) May 14, 2018

Footage from the protest near the embassy, held as Israeli leaders and senior US officials gathered inside for the dedication ceremony, showed MK Jamal Zahalka of the predominantly Arab Joint List party shoved to the ground by officers he was scuffling with.

Another member of his party, MK Masud Ganaim, was also seen angrily confronting Israeli forces.

Earlier at the Qalandiya crossing, north of Jerusalem, hundreds of Palestinians were marching and throwing stones at Israeli soldiers, who responded with live bullets, tear gas and rubber-coated steel pellets. A second clash was reported between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and there were further protests in the West Bank city of Hebron. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Earlier Monday, several thousand gathered in the West Bank city of Ramallah to protest the inauguration of the US Embassy.

Hadashot TV news said the Palestinian Authority was encouraging the protests, including by showing the Gaza border clashes on television in a live feed.

The rioting came as dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces during violent protests on the Israel-Gaza border, among them several terror operatives. The IDF also launched several airstrikes in the Strip.

The military cited three attempted attacks by armed men against Israeli forces during the riots — two teams of gunmen who opened fire at IDF soldiers and one group that tried to plant an improvised explosive device along the border.

Military sources said the Hamas terror group was determined to spark a major new, long-term uprising against Israel, extending to the West Bank.

US President Donald Trump announced on December 6, 2017, that he was recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and would move the US embassy to the city from Tel Aviv.

Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as its future capital and view the Trump administration’s recognition of the city as Israel’s capital as a show of pro-Israel bias.

Some 800 guests attended Monday’s embassy inauguration. Representing the US at the opening were US Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, the president’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump, and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt. US Ambassador David Friedman presided over the dedication ceremony.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, and other senior Israeli officials also attended the event.

Agencies contributed to this report.