Palestinians

One small apartment building near the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is emblematic of Israelis' mixed attitudes about the city.

The contradictions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are always on display, but rarely as starkly as this week, when the U.S. opened its embassy in Jerusalem and protests erupted in Gaza.

The day after Israeli troops shot dozens dead during protests on the Gaza border, envoys traded barbs at the U.N., countries confronted ambassadors — and Guatemala readied an embassy move of its own.

The day was marked by violence and bloodshed, as tens of thousands of Palestinians protested the embassy opening and Israeli army forces killed dozens of protesters.

David Friedman tells NPR's Morning Edition that the question of Jerusalem was "an inappropriate card" for the Palestinians to play and that taking it off the table will advance negotiations.

Israel has reshaped Jerusalem in a way that leaves many Palestinians struggling. About 38 percent of the city's residents are Palestinian. Tens of thousands live behind an Israeli-built barrier.

"What's the problem with hundreds of thousands breaking through?" Hamas' Gaza leader Yehiyeh Sinwar told international reporters Thursday. The border fence, he said, was not a "sacred cow."

More than 40 Palestinians are dead after weeks of protests on the Gaza-Israel border, where Israeli troops have sometimes used live fire — including on Friday, when some protesters rushed a fence.

Israel's defense minister alleged a photojournalist fatally shot at a Gaza protest was a Hamas member. But the U.S. said he had passed a vetting process with no ties to militants.

This brings the total number of dead to more than 27 since last week. On Friday, thousands of Palestinians once again gathered to demonstrate for the right to return to lands in today's Israel.

The Israeli military says the 40-mile barrier will run along the country's border with the Gaza Strip in an effort to thwart attacks by Palestinian militants.

President Mahmoud Abbas said Friday the U.S. is not qualified to sponsor the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians because of President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.