Unprecedented number of Jews ascend to the Holy Esplanade.
On May 29, Israel and Palestinian factions exchanged mortar shells and aerial attacks. The motivation for the round of violence, the most sever since the 2014 war, appeared to be retaliation for a May 27 incident in which the IDF killed three Islamic Jihad members. As of May 30, a tenuous ceasefire holds. Prior, protests at the Gaza boundary climaxed on May 14-15, when Israeli forces killed more than 60 Palestinians.
Only 25% of the salaries for April and May owed to former PA employees were paid.
Israel’s Higher Planning Committee promoted on May 30 plans for 1,958 housing units in Israeli settlements. An analysis by the settlement watch project of the Peace Now movement shows that 78 percent of the plans are located east of a potential border route as stipulated by the Geneva Initiative; at least 76 percent of them expand the existing footprint of the settlements; and the approval included the creation of two new settlements.
An Israeli soldier died on May 26 from injuries sustained during a military raid in the West Bank
The European Union boycotted the U.S. embassy move. European officials — including European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans — criticized America’s agenda. Separately, a joint EU statement criticizing the U.S. embassy relocation was blocked, but most European ambassadors shunned the Israeli reception marking the occasion. Finally, the European Union has called for an investigation into the injury to Jafar Farah, director of the Mossawa NGO, during a demonstration.
The Palestinian Authority called on the International Criminal Court to open an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, and apartheid.
The United States moved its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14. Guatemala and Paraguay followed suit. Most Israelis welcomed the American move, but the Palestinians rejected the move and recalled their chief representative in Washington.