Israel is preparing a series of festivities to celebrate the opening of the new US Embassy in Jerusalem, a move that has ignited Palestinian protests and raised fears of a further outbreak of violence.
As Israel marks Jerusalem Day on Sunday, the 51st anniversary of what it refers to as the city's "unification" following the 1967 war, it will also be hosting a gala reception for the following day's embassy dedication that will include members of a delegation led by President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka, his senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin.
Dozens of foreign diplomats are expected, though many ambassadors of European nations who oppose the move will skip it.
First daughter Ivanka Trump will lead the delegation attending the opening ceremony. Source: AAP
Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania have reportedly blocked a joint EU statement on the issue.
Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognised internationally. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and view the relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv to the contested city as a blatantly one-sided move that invalidates the US as a Mideast peace broker.
Trump's decision in December to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital ignited months of protests in the Palestinian territories. The weekly protests along the Israel-Gaza border are expected to culminate Monday in parallel to the celebrations in Jerusalem.
A sign on a bridge leading to the US Embassy compound ahead the official opening in Jerusalem. Source: AAP
Since March 30, 42 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the weekly protests aimed primarily against the decade-long blockade of Gaza. More than 1800 have been wounded.
Gaza's Hamas rulers have led the protests, which are aimed to peak this week with the 70th anniversary of what the Palestinians call the "nakba," or catastrophe, referring to their mass uprooting during the Mideast war over Israel's 1948 creation. Organisers have indicated they may try to breach the border with Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said Israel would be celebrating Trump's decision.
"President Trump promised to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and he did so. He promised to move the American Embassy to Israel and he is doing so. Of course we will all celebrate this day, a real celebration, tomorrow," he said at a weekly cabinet meeting.
Most countries have traditionally kept their embassies in coastal Tel Aviv rather than the contested holy site of Jerusalem. But after Trump's move both Guatemala and Paraguay announced that they planned to follow suit.
