Palestinians are outraged by the increasing number of Jewish visitors to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, some of whom violate the ban on non-Muslim prayers there. They view the flag march as part of a broader campaign to reinforce the Jewish presence throughout the city at their expense.
Israeli government ministers participated in the march in Jerusalem, which was organized by extremist Israeli factions. Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that settlers and police forces attacked Palestinians today, Thursday, in the Old City and at the Damascus Gate area. The "Flag March" began Thursday afternoon from West Jerusalem and reached the Damascus Gate (one of the gates to the Old City), parading around the Old City and the alleys of the Islamic Quarter before arriving at the Buraq Wall, known to Jews as the "Western Wall." Among the prominent participants were National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Energy Minister Israel Katz, and the Chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yoel Edelstein, along with members of Knesset from Likud and religious Zionist parties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the event as "a wonderful day in which we celebrate our return to our eternal capital."
The Al Jazeera correspondent in Jerusalem reported that settlers raised the flag of the banned Kahanist movement during the march, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel and internationally. Journalists were injured in the head while covering the "Flag March" at Damascus Gate, after being pelted with stones by settlers, including journalist Yahya Abu Zneid. The annual march, which coincides with the anniversary of Israel's occupation of Jerusalem in the 1967 war, has become a show of strength by Jewish nationalists and is seen by Palestinians as a blatant provocation aimed at undermining their connection to the city.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh issued a statement saying that "the Flag March does not grant the occupation any legitimacy it seeks through absurd policies and repressive practices, nor does it imbue it with any meanings or connotations that it tries to impose with the arrogance of brute force, just as it cannot change the features of the holy city with its steadfast Palestinian residents, its Islamic and Christian sanctities, and its landmarks that refuse the encroaching foreign occupiers."
The Israeli police stated that about 2,500 of their forces would provide protection for the march and attempt to maintain its peacefulness, as they prepared for all possibilities, including outbreaks of violence and chanting anti-Arab slogans, as well as rockets from Gaza. The Islamist resistance movement Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, launched rockets at Israel during the 2021 march, leading to an 11-day war that resulted in the deaths of at least 250 Palestinians in Gaza and 13 people in Israel. However, there does not seem to be a desire for escalation following a recent round of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza earlier this week.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads a government made up of national and religious parties, stated that the march would proceed as planned. For some, the march also has religious dimensions, as the Old City of Jerusalem includes the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Palestinians are angered by the rising number of Jewish visitors to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, some of whom violate the ban on non-Muslim prayers there. They see the march as part of a broader campaign to enhance the Jewish presence throughout the city at their expense.
Right-wing Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, in a video message on Wednesday, stated that the police would stop any attempts to disrupt the celebrations and promised that the "Flag March would be a rise of Jews to the Temple Mount without any individual facing threat or harm," referring to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The Arab League's Secretary-General, Ahmed Abul Gheit, condemned the Israeli authorities for allowing a provocative demonstration by the Israeli right, affirming that such reckless acts, carried out under the protection of the Israeli government and with the participation of some of its symbols, only serve to ignite tensions and push the situation to the brink of explosion in the occupied territories. Spokesperson Jamal Rushdi conveyed Abul Gheit's statement, highlighting that the continued incursions of settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque, led and encouraged by the right-wing government and its members, represent a provocation to the feelings of Arabs and Muslims as it touches one of their holiest places.
Rushdi added that Abul Gheit had mentioned in his remarks before the ministerial meeting held in Jeddah yesterday, in preparation for the summit scheduled for tomorrow, the need for the international community to take a firm stance regarding the extremist and hateful practices of the Israeli right-wing government instead of the shameful silence that encourages extremists to continue their dangerous approach.
