Palestinians in Nablus burn a poster of President Donald Trump on Dec. 7, in the aftermath of Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Photo: Nasser Ishtayeh / Flash90.

JNS.org – Ismail Haniyeh, the top leader of the Gaza-ruling terror group Hamas, called for a violent Palestinian uprising on Thursday in response to President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“Tomorrow, December 8, 2017, should be a day of rage and the beginning of a major effort to rise up, which I will name the intifada of Jerusalem and the West Bank’s freedom,” Haniyeh said in a televised speech.

“As we liberated Gaza, we are able…to free Jerusalem and the West Bank by the way of this popular struggle,” Haniyeh said, adding that Hamas terrorists in the West Bank should be “empowered to operate.”

Haniyeh also urged the various Palestinian factions to “unite” for the sake of “Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa,” referring to the mosque located on the Temple Mount compound.

The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, cancelled school classes in an attempt to get more Palestinian youths involved with the violent uprising.

On Thursday, the IDF deployed battalions to the West Bank to disperse Palestinian rioters who threw firebombs and rocks in several areas throughout the region. Violent Palestinian riots were also reported in Jerusalem around the Damascus Gate in the Old City.

Israel had prepared in advance of Trump’s announcement on Jerusalem for a potential eruption in Palestinian violence, with the Shin Bet security agency, Israel Police and other Israeli security forces convening to assess the situation and prepare for riots and terror attacks.