U.S. Officially Opens Embassy In Jerusalem JNS Staff T he United States officially opened its new embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, fulfilling a key promise made by President Donald Trump. Trump, who did not attend the cer- emony, issued a video greeting to the attendees. “Today, Jerusalem is the seat of Israel’s government; it is the home of the Israeli legislature and the Israeli Supreme Court, and Israel’s prime minis- ter and president,” he said. “Israel is a sovereign nation, with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital. Yet for many years, we failed to acknowledge the obvious: the plain reality that Israel’s capital is Jerusalem. Today we follow through on this recognition and open our embassy in the historic and sacred land of Jerusalem,” he added, noting that it was opening “many, many years ahead of schedule.” The embassy ceremony, which was attended by some 800 American and Israeli officials, was held in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood, the site of the new embassy. Its opening capped a move first set forth by Congress in 1995 as part of the Jerusalem Embassy Act, which recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and called for the relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. However, successive American presi- dents, citing national security issues, had issued six-month waivers on the move until Trump announced his deci- sion in December 2017 to go forward with it. The United States has long had a con- sulate in Jerusalem, which mainly dealt with the Palestinian Authority. The new Jerusalem embassy will see the ambassa- dor’s office and about 50 staff members relocate to an already existing former U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, while the United States plans to build an entirely new embassy building in the city. The Trump administration was well- represented at the embassy dedication, with Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump and Special Representative PHOTO BY YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90. world Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the official opening ceremony of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018. To his left is U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt all attending. Additionally, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman presided over the embassy ceremony. In his address, Kushner said that when Trump makes a promise, he “keeps it.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also thanked the U.S. leader for “having the courage” to move the embassy. “What a glorious day for Israel,” he said. “Remember this moment. This is history. President Trump, by recogniz- ing history you have made history. All of us are deeply moved; all of us are deeply grateful. “This is a great day,” continued the prime minister. “A great day for Jerusalem. A great day for the State of Israel. A day that will be engraved in our national memory for generations.” The Israeli leader also thanked Kushner and Greenblatt for their “tire- less efforts to advance peace.” Netanyahu stated that “the truth and peace are interconnected. A peace that is built on lies will crash on the rocks of Middle Eastern realities. You can only build peace on truth. And the truth is that Jerusalem has been and will always be the capital of the Jewish people, the capital of the Jewish state.” The opening of the embassy on Monday also came amid clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians along border with Gaza, which killed dozens and injured more than 1,000. Kushner addressed the clashes along the border in his speech, saying: “As we have seen from the protests of the last month and even today, those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution.” • 58 Dead In Monday’s Riot On Gaza Strip Times of Israel Staff T he Gaza Strip’s Hamas-run health ministry said Tuesday morning that a baby was among those killed during violent border clashes along the territory’s border with Israel the pre- vious day, bringing the overall death toll in the day’s bloody events to 58. The baby died from inhaling tear gas fired at Palestinian protesters, the health ministry said, adding that six minors were slain in border clashes and 1,360 people wounded by gunfire, including 130 in serious or critical con- dition. Hebrew-language media, quoting Palestinian sources, reported that 10 of those killed were terror operatives. It was by far the deadliest day of cross-border violence since the dev- astating 2014 war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers. More than 35,000 Palestinians, encouraged by the Palestinian terror group Hamas, rushed the border in an attempt to carry out attacks on Israeli security forces and also infiltrate Israel. 60 May 17 • 2018 jn Throughout the day, Gaza protesters set tires ablaze, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the air, and hurled firebombs and stones toward Israeli troops across the border. The IDF has said that three of those killed had attempted to plant explo- sives along the border while in other incidents the IDF responded when Gazans opened fire on them. Additionally, Israeli Air Force air- craft targeted five Hamas targets, including a military training facility, in northern Gaza. “The strike was con- ducted in response to the violent acts carried out by Hamas over the last few hours along the security fence,” the IDF said. The Israeli military, which has come under international criticism for its use of force against protesters, said Hamas tried to carry out bombing and shooting attacks under the cover of the protests and released video of protesters ripping away parts of the barbed-wire border fence. Israel’s Shin Bet security services Palestinian protesters during clashes with Israeli forces along the border with the Gaza strip east of Gaza City on May 11, 2018. accused Iran of funding Hamas’ pro- tests. The accusation was made fol- lowing the arrest of a Hamas member caught infiltrating Israel, who told investigators that Hamas was instruct- ing members to cut the fence and steal security cameras so rioters could pull the fences down on Monday. Israeli forces were gearing up Tuesday for a second straight day of protests and the prospect that they may spread, as Palestinians mark a yearly commemoration of the mass displacement of Palestinian Arabs during the 1948 war with Israel, which they term the “catastrophe,” or Nakba. Tuesday was expected to be the culmination of seven weeks of pro- tests at the Gaza border fence, with Israeli fears that more than 100,000 Palestinians could take part in wide- spread demonstrations encouraged by the Hamas terror group. Similar demonstrations were expected in the West Bank and possi- bly along the Lebanese border. As of Tuesday morning, the IDF saids several hundred Palestinians were protesting throughout the West Bank to mark Nakba Day. The main points of friction, the army says, were in Hebron, Ramallah, at Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem and at the Qalandiya checkpoint north of Jerusalem. • For news updates, go to thejewishnews.com.