By Sorwar Alam

ANKARA

Thousands of people across Turkey took to the streets to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Several NGOs and civil society groups, including the Anatolian Youth Association (AGD) and Turkish Youth Foundation (TUGVA), gathered city centers in every corner of the country to protest the move.

Many NGOs led by the AGD Istanbul branch staged a demonstration at the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul and chanted slogans against President Donald Trump and the U.S. and carried posters and banners supporting the Palestinians.

The TUGVA also organized another protest at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul as they called on Muslims to unite against the decision.

Another protest was held in Ankara in front of the U.S. Embassy building, where a statement was read stating the Palestinian crisis was a basic issue of all Muslims.

Similar protests were also held in almost every Turkish province, including Konya, Bursa, Antalya, Mugla, Manisa, Adana, Bartin, Karabuk, Samsun, Yozgat, Malatya, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Sanliurfa, Sirnak and Diyarbakir.

On Wednesday, the U.S. president announced his decision -- despite widespread opposition across the Middle East -- to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The announcement sparked strong condemnation from around the world, including Turkey, the EU and the UN.

Jerusalem remains at the core of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- now occupied by Israel -- might eventually serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

During his election campaign last year, Trump repeatedly promised to relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.