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Palestine's Abbas takes note - speaks with the teenage symbol of Jerusalem protests

January 1, 2018 at 7:49 am

Israelis soldiers arrest Palestinian teen Fawzi Muhammad Al-Juneidi in Jerusalem on 8 December, 2017 [Twitter]

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas late Saturday spoke by phone with Fawzi al-Juneidi, who became a symbol of protests against the US recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Palestine’s official WAFA news agency reported that Abbas congratulated the Palestinian teenager, who was detained by Israeli forces, for his stance during his detention.

The 16-year-old was arrested December 7, in the West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) after being dragged on the ground and blindfolded by heavily armed Israeli soldiers. Al-Juneidi returned to his family late Wednesday.

A photo of the blindfolded youth quickly became a symbol of ongoing Palestinian protests sparked by US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

An Israeli military court on Wednesday decided to release Al-Juneidi on bail, according to a legal source.

The court set Al-Juneidi’s bail at 10,000 Israeli shekels (roughly $2,860) after prosecutors withdrew an appeal against the teenager’s release, lawyer Arwa Hilehel told Anadolu Agency.

Read: Israel arrested 620 Palestinians since Trump’s move on Jerusalem

While the international community has almost unanimously disagreed with Donald Trump’s announcement, reports suggest that the announcement was done with the pre-agreement of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with the Saudi Arabia going as far as, allegedly, stating to the Palestinian President to accept a village on the outskirts of Jerusalem as the alternative Palestinian capital.

Since the announcement, Saudi Arabia’s royal court has sent notices to the nation’s media outlets to limit the airtime given to protests against Trump’s announcement.

Emboldened by Trump’s annoucement, Israeli housing Minister Yoav Galant announced plans to build 14,000 new settlement units in the occupied Jerusalem.

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