Jerusalem braces for clashes as flag march nears

The event was scheduled, as in every year, for Jerusalem Day which fell on May 10 but was cancelled due to severe tensions in the capital which resulted in the recent conflict in Gaza after Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem later that day. 

New Public Security Minister Omer Barlev said on Monday afternoon that the police were well-prepared for the march, against a background of ongoing tensions in east Jerusalem and calls from Hamas for Arab Israelis and east Jerusalem residents to confront the procession. 

The route of the march usually starts at Damascus Gate and wends its way through the Muslim Quarter and out to the Western Wall plaza in the Jewish Quarter. 

The approved route for Tuesday’s march will see the parade dance in front of the Damascus Gate, but then proceed outside the Old City’s walls to the Jaffa Gate, down David Street which divides the Christian and Armenian Quarters and on down Chain Gate Street which divides the Muslim and Jewish Quarters and into the Western Wall plaza. 

Although the route does not go through the Muslim Quarter, David Street and Chain Gate Street do however run straight through the so-called Arab market of Palestinian vendors and tradesmen. 

Following evening meetings with Police Commissioner Yaakov (Kobi) Shabtai and senior officials in the IDF, Shin Bet and National Security Council, Barlev said he found "that the police are well prepared and a great effort was made to protect the delicate fabric of live and public safety.”

Asked about the event in a Labor faction meeting Monday, Barlev said: "The flag march will take place...Jerusalem is Israel's eternal capital. In a democracy, you may and it is important to demonstrate and hold marches as long as they follow the law, and the police decides.”

There will be at least 2,000 police personnel securing the march. 

On Monday evening, a Hamas spokesman threatened that the flag march could spark a new round of conflict “to protect al-Aqsa and Jerusalem,” and called on all Arab-Israelis and east Jerusalem residents to confront those participating in the march, according to a report by Channel 13 News. 

Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a statement on Tuesday stating that it will respond "with full force to the provocations of the settlers in the Holy City," ahead of the Jerusalem Flag Day march being held later in the evening.

PIJ added that it will serve to stand as an "impenetrable dam" towards anyone who tries to harm the al-Aqsa mosque, known as the Temple Mount to Jews.

“The land is our land, and Jerusalem is our sanctuary and the mosque is our mosque,” adding the "occupation" will not create a foothold within the mosque itself.

PIJ called for Palestinians and Israeli-Arabs in Jerusalem to stand together and barricade sections of the city where the march will pass through to "repel the expected aggression, and to form an impenetrable fortress around the Al-Aqsa Mosque to defend it," and additionally prevent attempts to "desecrate and Judaize our sanctities."

"We are confident that our resistance will fail the plans of the extremist Zionist government, and will cut off its colonial Judaization ambitions in the city of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and we are also confident in our people in 'Palestine' and the diaspora that they will stand, as they promised us, supporting us, each in [their own] position and according to [their] strength and capabilities."

Defense Minister Gantz held situational assessments on Tuesday ahead of the march, with the participation of IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, the deputy head of the Shin Bet, the head of the security services, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, and the head of the Political-Security Division of the Ministry of Defense.

During the discussions, officials were presented with an up-to-date intelligence picture as well as the deployment of forces in all sectors and the security of the march.

Gantz emphasized the need to prevent friction during the march and to maintain the security of all civilians, both Jewish and Muslim, and instructed that the message be heard by all relevant parties.

The event is being organized by a collection of right-wing and religious organizations, including Im Tirtzu, the Bnei Akiva, Ezra, and Ariel religious-Zionist youth movements, as well as several regional councils in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria).

Earlier on Monday, Rabbi Haim Druckman, one of the most senior and influential religious-Zionist rabbis, called for as large as possible number of participants for the march. 

“How joyful is it that Jerusalem has returned to our hands, the Dance of Flags expresses our great joy of the return of Jerusalem to the Jewish people,” said the rabbi. 

“Anyone who can should participate in the event because it expresses our true joy and our control over Jerusalem.”

 

Barlev’s decision to allow the march met with some opposition from within side the new government, with Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg of Meretz expressing opposition to the march and said it should have been cancelled. 

Yamina MK Nir Orbach warmly welcomed Barlev’s decision to allow the march to proceed, calling it “part of the religious-Zionist experience,” and “a march of joy.”

As for the diplomatic implications of the march, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid did not have a position on the matter as of Monday morning, his spokesman said.

A diplomatic source in Egypt, which mediated the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ending last month’s Operation Guardian of the Walls, said that, although Hamas declared a “Day of Rage” to coincide with the Jerusalem march, they do not expect a serious escalation in violence.

In light of the Hamas threats and possible counter-demonstrations to take place on the day of the Jerusalem flag march, the US Embassy in Jerusalem ordered US citizens to remain "vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness."

It added that US citizens should avoid demonstrations and large gatherings, monitor local media sources for escalations and follow instructions delved out by local authorities.

Additionally, government employees and their family members are strictly prohibited from entering the Old City on Tuesday.

Anna Ahronheim and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.