Arab lawmakers were expelled from Mike Pence's speech at the Knesset for protesting the Jerusalem decision

Vice President Mike Pence's address before the Israeli parliament Monday was interrupted by protests, The Times of Israel reports. As Pence took his place in front of the Knesset, ministers from Israel's Joint Arab List — a coalition of Israeli-Arab lawmakers — held up signs that read "Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine," protesting the Trump administration's decision last month to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's rightful capital. Security scrambled to remove the protesting ministers from the chamber as most of the other lawmakers in the Knesset applauded loudly:

After the commotion died down, Pence reportedly made note of Israel's "vibrant democracy." Later in the speech, the vice president reaffirmed the decision to recognize Jerusalem and announced that the U.S. would relocate its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv by the end of next year.

Palestinians want Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state, and some experts believe the Trump administration's policies are a barrier to peace efforts between Israel and Palestine. Read more about the Joint Arab List protests at Haaretz.

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