JERUSALEM — Israel on Sunday kicked off festivities to celebrate the opening of the new US Embassy in Jerusalem, even as it bolstered its forces along the Gaza border and in the West Bank in anticipation of mass Palestinian protests.

A day before, Israel hosted a gala party at its Foreign Ministry with President Trump’s daughter Ivanka, her husband, Jared Kushner, and other VIPs.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s ‘‘bold decision’’ in upending decades of US policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. ‘‘It’s the right thing to do,’’ a smiling Netanyahu said.

Trump announced his decision on Jerusalem in December, triggering a joyous reaction from Netanyahu’s nationalist government. The move infuriated the Palestinians, who claim Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cut ties with the Trump administration and declared it unfit to remain as the sole mediator in peace talks.

The rival Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, has been staging weekly demonstrations against a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the territory. On Monday, tens of thousands are expected to gather along the Israeli border in an event timed to coincide with the US Embassy move. Hamas has signaled that large crowds might try to break through the border fence to realize the ‘‘right of return’’ to lost homes.

Trump has said the embassy opening is meant to coincide with the 70th anniversary of ­Israel’s­ establishment. The Palestinian protests also mark the date as the anniversary of their ‘‘naqba,’’ or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced from their homes during the war surrounding the event. Two-thirds of Gaza’s 2 million people are descendants of Palestinian refugees.

A mass border breach could trigger potentially lethal Israeli force. Forty-two Palestinians have been killed and over 1,800 have been wounded by Israeli fire since the weekly protests began March 30. The UN, European Union, and rights groups have accused Israel of using excessive force.

Associated Press