The backlash against US President Donald Trump’s decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv continued to dominate the regional conversation over the weekend. In a nutshell: Reactions have been somber but relatively muted, barring diplomatic condemnations and Palestinian deaths as a result of protests and exchange of fire with Israeli forces in a “day of rage.”

Hamas called for a new “intifada,” while the Palestinian Authority says there will be "no talking" with the US until Trump reverses the decision. Egypt was spared the protests seen in other parts of the region, with the Interior Ministry banning a planned protest by parties of the Democratic Coalition and arresting suspected ikhwanis for trying to incite them.

On the diplomatic front, Egypt and 13 other member states condemned Trump’s decision at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday. Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and Italy called on the US to put forward detailed proposals for peace between Israel and the Palestinians after the “unhelpful” decision.

At an emergency Arab League meeting in Cairo yesterday, Egypt also denounced “unilateral decisions that violate international law and threaten to upend the global political order.” Arab League Chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit “called on world nations to recognize the State of Palestine with east Jerusalem as its capital in response.” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir called on the US to backtrack on its decision.

…Egypt’s religious leaders said they will refuse to meet US Vice President Mike Pence when he arrives in Egypt on 20 December, state news agency MENA said on Saturday.The Coptic Church and Al Azhar Sheikh rejected Pence’s request for a meeting. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has also said he will refuse to meet Pence.

Not content with upsetting allies over Jerusalem, Trump issued a statement calling on Saudi Arabia to immediately end its blockade of Yemen. On Friday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on Saudi Arabia’s leaders to “think through the consequences” of their actions and be “a little bit more thoughtful,” Bloomberg reports.

Also from across the pond, we hear that Deputy national security adviser Dina Powell is leaving her position in the White House. Powell, of Egyptian-American heritage, has been a leading figure on the Trump administration’s Middle East policy. She is leaving after fulfilling her full-year commitment, the Washington Post says.