AMMAN — On Thursday, tens of thousands of right-wing Israeli
supporters gathered at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem to prepare for the Israeli
"Flag March." Settlers waved Israeli flags and shouted insults and
provocative slogans, resulting in some scuffles, various media outlets
reported.
اضافة اعلان
Over the past few years, these marchers have engaged in
provocations against Palestinians, including slogans like "Death to
Arabs".
More than 2,000 Israeli forces were deployed as flag-bearing
marchers slowly assembled near the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to participate in
the parade.
The march commemorates the capture of East Jerusalem in 1967
and its subsequent occupation.
Some Orthodox Jews danced in a circle, chanting
"Rebuild the temple!" Interestingly, one riot police officer, who
wore a kippah symbolizing his Orthodox Jewish faith, was seen dancing with some
of the marchers.
Ben-Gvir joins marchItamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's far-right National Security
Minister, joined the march, becoming the first cabinet minister to attend the
event.
Meanwhile, ultra-Orthodox Knesset member Moshe Gafni urged
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prohibit lawmakers from entering the
Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, in line with the rulings of the Chief Rabbinate.
“I am appealing and
asking you to prevent the ascent to the Temple Mount, both due to the political
issue regarding the attitude of the countries of the world in allowing it, and
due to the security issue and the incitement that exists as a result,” Gafni, a
member of United Torah Judaism, said.
“There is no reason for this, it does not show sovereignty;
on the contrary, it constitutes sacrilege in the place most connected to the
Jewish people and most sacred to them.”
Settler attack citizensMoreover, settlers, protected by Israeli occupation police,
attacked several citizens in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.
The annual parade has increasingly become a show of force
for Jewish nationalists and a deliberate provocation aimed at undermining
Palestinian connections to the city.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's spokesperson
warned against organizing the provocative flag march, stating that it confirms
the Israeli government's endorsement of Jewish extremists.
Hamas, which governs Gaza, called on Palestinians to oppose
the march, urging them to mobilize against it. Palestinian fears of Jewish
worshippers praying at Al-Aqsa have been reinforced by Israeli settler
movements advocating for such access.
Currently, Jews can visit the site but are not allowed to
pray there.
The flag march has a history of sparking conflict, often
involving anti-Arab racist chants and violence against Palestinians. In 2021,
these provocations led to retaliatory actions by Palestinian factions,
triggering a significant escalation of violence that resulted in an 11-day
Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip, causing numerous Palestinian
casualties, Al Jazeera reported.
The timing of this far-right march is particularly
sensitive, as it comes shortly after a ceasefire agreement was reached between
the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group and Israel, following a four-day Israeli
bombardment that claimed the lives of at least 33 Palestinians and one Israeli
killed by Palestinian rocket fire.
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