Pope who condemned US action ,Sparking protests on the Gaza border, which was put down by Israeli forces, who killed 60 Palestinians.
“I am very worried about the escalation of tensions in the Holy Land and the Middle East, and about the spiral of violence which moves us ever further away from the path of peace, dialogue, and negotiation,” the Argentine pontiff said during his weekly audience at the Vatican.
In the hours leading up to the inauguration, Israeli troops engaged in clashes with Palestinians taking part in mass protests on the Gaza border.
Israeli gunfire killed 59 Palestinians and wounded over 2,700 in the Monday clashes -- the highest toll in a single day since a series of protests demanding the right to return to ancestral homes began on March 30.
The occupied territories have witnessed new tensions ever since US President Donald Trump on December 6, 2017 announced US recognition of al-Quds as Israel’s “capital” and said Washington would move US embassy to the city.
The dramatic decision triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories as well as Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries.
The status of al-Quds is the thorniest issue in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
