Toronto protesters say no to U.S. embassy in Jerusalem

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in front of the U.S. consulate in Toronto on Saturday to add their voices to a global protest over Trump's controversial announcement to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

A crowd of Palestinian flags covered a section of University Avenue as chants of "Free, free Palestine" filled the air.

In a speech on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump called Jerusalem the capital of Israel and announced plans to move the American embassy there from Tel Aviv.

"Mr. Trump doesn't have the right to do this," said 12-year-old Malik Abulebdeh who attended the protest.

In this one strike, protestor Fatima Albarahmeh claims, "He basically ended the peace process there."

Clashes have broken out in Israel following Trump's announcement. Two Palestinians were shot dead in Gaza and dozens were wounded in the West Bank after confrontations between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops in dozens of West Bank hotspots and along the Gaza border. Israeli airstrikes have killed two Hamas members early Saturday following a rocket attack on Israel.

But the recent flare-ups are only the latest in a long history of conflict for almost a century in the region. Jerusalem is revered as a holy site in Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

For Muslims, it is the home of their third holiest site, Al Aqsa mosque.

"This is a matter of national pride, not just for Palestinians but for people from 22 Arab states," another protestor, Khalid Ali said. 

"We are not going to shut up, we're not going to sit down until we get back our land," he added. 

The protest follows a call from organizations in the Middle East for "three days of rage" to voice their outrage at the U.S president's announcement.