After US President Trump’s announcement in December 2017 recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and expressing his intention to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, breaking the international consensus, the new embassy is being inaugurated today under great controversy. The inauguration event, hosted by Benjamin Netanyahu, was preceded by a gala reception on Sunday afternoon, attended by an American delegation, including Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner. Foreign dignitaries were also invited, but most of the European ambassadors said they would boycott the event. Only Hungarian, Czech, Austrian and Romanian representatives joined the gala, despite the EU objection to US move.

As a response to the decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, Palestinians warn today will be the largest demonstration to date as protesters in Gaza are carrying out a day of rallies along the frontier, and Israeli forces are deploying up to 1,000 Israeli police officers around the embassy’s new location. Trump’s decision has already had severe consequences: at the moment, at least 58 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and more than 2,000 others wounded as the Israeli army fired live ammunition and tear gas at protestors.

HR/VP Federica Mogherini stated today that “Israel must respect the right to peaceful protest and the principle of proportionality in the use of force”. French President Emmanuel Macron “condemned the violence by the Israeli armed forces against Palestinian demonstrators” in Gaza on Monday evening during telephone talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II, according to a statement by the Elysée.