Supporters of Palestine Rally in S.F. to Condemn Trump's Move on Jerusalem

More than 100 people rallied at San Francisco's United Nations Plaza on Saturday to condemn President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his plan to move the U.S. embassy there.

A group of nine organizers stood in front of the crowd giving speeches in both English and Arabic and leading chants including, “Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has got to go,” and “Free Palestine.” The organizers and demonstrators advocated for Jerusalem to be turned over to the Palestinians.

“Coming here ... there are people sharing these feelings and it's great,” said Nabil Wahbeh at the rally. Wahbeh is Palestinian and used to live in Jerusalem. He says watching the news about Trump's announcement made him feel depressed, and he came to the rally to try to make himself feel better.

The rally was organized by the Arab Resource and Organizing Center and co-sponsored by almost 50 Bay Area organizations including some Jewish organizations.

Israel has historically called Jerusalem its capital, while the Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Currently, all countries' Israeli embassies are located in the city of Tel Aviv in an attempt to stay neutral on the issue.

Trump said this week he was delivering on a campaign promise by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and that he is still committed to "achieving a lasting peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians."