Temporary capital of Lithuania historical grounds, as the city was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. However, the city was multi-ethnic and other groups laid similar claims. Belarusians saw it as the capital of the Belarusian nation and laid claims to the heritage of the former Grand Duchy; Jews saw it as the capital of Yiddish culture; Poles saw it as a Polish-inhabited city. As Soviet forces pushed westward to spread the global proletarian revolution, German Ober-Ost administration evacuated and the Lithuanians withdrew to Kaunas. Vilnius was captured by the Red Army on January 5, 1919. During the Polish–Soviet War the city
United States recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel called for a boycott of American products. Anwar Abbas, a leading Muslim cleric of Indonesian Council of Ulema, read the petition calling for the boycott. On December 27, the Iranian government became the first Muslim nation that passed a bill recognizing Jerusalem as capital of Palestine. Hundreds of Muslims attended the Friday prayers outside the White House, in response to calls by American Muslim organizations. They wore Palestinian keffiyeh or colours of Palestinian flag, with protesters holding placards denouncing Israeli presence in East Jerusalem and West Bank. Protests were held against the decision in Times Square, by hundreds of pro-Palestinian