Hamas warned on Sunday afternoon that it could still respond to the Flag March for the Old City of Jerusalem, saying it would do so “at the right time.”
Last year, the terrorist group that ruled Gaza fired rockets at Jerusalem during the controversial annual parade, sparking an 11-day conflict with Israel.
Hamas spokesman Mohammad Hamada told Al Jazeera that although Hamas had not reacted to this year’s march, a violent response was still possible.
“The resistance will decide how and when to respond according to the information available to them and at the appropriate time,” he said.
Some 70,000 Jewish nationalists marched through the Old City of Jerusalem and its environs on Sunday afternoon to commemorate Jerusalem Day, some chanting racist slogans and clashing with Palestinians and police.
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“We condemn the incitement to violence and racism in all its forms,” a U.S. State Department spokesman said in response to the march and chants. “We urge all parties to work to maintain calm, restraint and refrain from actions and rhetoric that increase tensions, even in the Old City of Jerusalem.”
Prior to the march, more than 2,600 Israeli Jews were granted entry to the Temple Mount, a record number. The Holy Place, the holiest shrine in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, is a deeply contested turning point between Jews and Muslims. Hundreds had arrived early in the morning to wait for the opportunity to tour the sanctuary. Among them was far-right MP Itamar Ben Gvir.
Before the arrival of Jewish visitors, dozens of Palestinians barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque and threw stones at security forces parked outside.
Jewish religious nationalists wave Israeli flag on Temple Mount, May 29, 2022 (screenshot)
According to police, 18 people were arrested on suspicion of rioting and assaulting officers and civilians during a visit to Temple Mount.
In an apparent violation of the so-called status quo, several Jewish visitors who visited the mountain raised Israeli flags. The terrorist group Hamas had previously indicated that the waving of the Israeli flag at the sacred site, which includes the Al-Aqsa Mosque, could trigger a violent response.
Temple Mount, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, is the holiest site for Jews and the third holiest shrine in Islam.
It is the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and tensions there helped fuel the 11-day Gaza war in May last year that sparked an open conflict when Hamas launched a rocket bomb against Jerusalem during the Flag March.
Public Security Minister Omer Barlev said it was crucial that the march continue in the face of threats from Palestinian terrorist groups. Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah had also issued threats.
“The decision for the march to go ahead as planned this year was right and unstoppable,” Barlev said. “Even if terrorist organizations try to challenge us, it is entirely clear that surrender to their threats would lead to much more serious situations, with serious damage to our deterrent capabilities and our sovereignty.”
“With the exception of a few isolated incidents, the event in Jerusalem went as planned,” Barlev said.
Thousands of Jews wave Israeli flags as they celebrate Jerusalem Day at the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on May 29, 2022. (Nati Shohat / Flash90)
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett tried to highlight the positive message of the day and promised that Israel would never again divide Jerusalem.
“Today we promise again that we will never give up the unity of Jerusalem and we will never give up the unity of Israel,” Bennett said in a statement at the main Jerusalem Day event.
Despite being a national holiday, Jerusalem Day, which marks Israel’s conquest of the Old City and East Jerusalem of Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War, is celebrated today primarily by right-wing religious Jews.
Meanwhile, the opposition party Likud accused Bennett and the government of trying to claim credit to deter Hamas, which they said was due to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“He praised the Netanyahu government’s deterrence against Hamas, in which he did not participate. Netanyahu ordered the IDF to strike Hamas harder than ever before,” a Likud statement said. to the IDF response. on rocket fire.
The war came in the last days of Netanyahu’s administration before the coalition government led by Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid took power.
Fire and smoke rise above Gaza City buildings as Israeli warplanes launch attacks in early May 17, 2021. (Anas BABA / AFP)
“After being hit so hard, he has not dared to fire a single rocket this year,” the Likud statement said.
There have been several cases of rockets being fired at Israel in the last year from Gaza.
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