Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has personally thanked Brazil and its outgoing leader President Lula da Silva for recognising his nation’s statehood.

The South American giant is the first country in the Americas to host a Palestinian embassy and Abbas was in the capital Brasilia to lay a cornerstone.

In recent weeks, several other Latin American countries have followed Brazil’s lead, acknowledging Palestinian sovereignty claims along pre-1967 borders.

Israel has condemned the move by Brazil and others as ‘‘seriously harmful�’ to the Middle East peace process. Washington has called it ‘‘premature’‘

Earlier, a march against the Israeli-built barrier in the West Bank turned ugly after clashes broke out between some 200 protesters and security forces. The Israeli army said its troops fired tear gas to disperse the protest after coming under attack from stone throwing activists.

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