Israelis dancing with flags at the gates of Damascus right in front of the Old City of Jerusalem, June 15, 2021. REUTERS / Ronen Zvulun / File photo
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JERUSALEM, May 29 (Reuters) – Jewish nationalists waving a flag will march through the heart of the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday in a parade that could rekindle violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
The annual procession to Jerusalem celebrates Israel’s conquest of the Old City during the 1967 Middle East War and draws thousands of applause chanting to the narrow cobbled streets.
But for the Palestinians, the march is a clear provocation and violation of one of the few places in the city, increasingly hampered by Jewish development and settlement, which retains a strong Arab flavor. Read more
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Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Gaza Strip, fired rockets at Israel early last year, sparking an 11-day war that left hundreds dead.
On Saturday, the group issued a statement calling on Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, along with Israel’s Arab minority – Palestinian heritage and Israeli citizenship – “to rise Sunday to defend Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque “.
Signs of turmoil were noticed early in the day as Israeli police stationed near the mosque and Muslim worshipers finished their morning prayers.
A police spokesman said a small group of people barricaded themselves in the mosque and threw large stones at police outside. No casualties were reported.
But despite calls for a rethink of the march by some of his coalition allies, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has refused to accept any changes.
“The flag parade will be held as usual along the planned route, as it has been for decades,” his office said on Friday, adding that they would review the situation regularly in the coming hours.
Jerusalem and its holy sites, revered by both Muslims and Jews and Christians, have been at the heart of decades of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its eternal and indivisible capital, while the Palestinians want the east as the capital of their future state. Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by Western governments, sees all of modern Israel as occupied.
Tensions in the city have been rising for weeks. Read more
Numerous clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police took place at the Al-Aqsa complex in April, during the holy month of Ramadan, and Muslims were angered by the growing number of Jewish visitors to the mosque.
Al-Aqsa is the third holiest place in Islam. It is also revered by the Jews as the Temple Mount, a remnant of the two ancient temples of their faith.
Sunday’s march should culminate in the Western Wall, a Jewish place of worship below the Al-Aqsa Mosques.
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Report by Crispian Balmer; Edited by Christina Fincher and William Mallard
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