On the eve of the Jerusalem Day flag march scheduled for Sunday, Saturday evening, a series of minor incidents between Israelis and Palestinians took place in the capital, highlighting the high tensions ahead of the scheduled event.
Right-wing Israelis have been given the green light to march through the capital’s Old City, taking the traditional route from Safra Square to the Western Wall via the Muslim Quarter.
The Palestinians have long seen the annual march as a provocation.
On Saturday evening, a group of young Jews of national religion appeared to rehearse the march, walking together on Hagai Street in the Old City in the Muslim Quarter, waving Israeli flags and singing hymns, while police escorted them.
Protesters on Sunday will walk down Jaffa Street to the Damascus Gate, where access will be blocked for Palestinians.
Get the daily edition of The Times of Israel by email and never miss our main stories
By registering, you accept the conditions
They will continue towards the Old Town, pass through the Muslim quarter and then end up at the Western Wall.
A group of Jews made a presentation and passed through the Muslim quarter, if you look closely, one of the young men spat at a Palestinian pic.twitter.com/KQ2WkBMFJL
– Yossi Eli Yossi Eli (@Yossi_eli) May 28, 2022
On Saturday, Channel 12 reported Palestinian reports that there had been clashes and police arrests in the Damascus Gate area, but did not provide further details.
A group of Jews arrived at the Nablus Gate with Israeli flags, clashes erupted and several Arab residents were detained. Another group waved flags at some of the entrances to Temple Mount and police blocked the doors of the site @ SuleimanMas1 pic.twitter.com/bnaJjFOOs2
– Here is the news (@kann_news) of May 28, 2022
In another incident at the Damascus Gate, a young Palestinian woman was arrested by police in a clip circulating on social media. She was ordered to enter a detention area guarding the square and was fought with Israeli police, who pushed her against a wall.
I don’t understand what the police have against especially young women, in many cases excessive violence. This is very noticeable in recent times, today at the gate of Bab Al-Amoud-Nablus. pic.twitter.com/bRFAGfy4jo
– Deiaa haj yahia-Diaa Haj Yahia (@DeiaaHaj) May 28, 2022
Nearby, Israeli police officers were filmed moving through the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
VIDEO: Iron Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem; See pic.twitter.com/p7fwH5S8AN
– Local approach: security alerts (@ LocalFocus1) May 28, 2022
In another clip circulating on Palestinian social media, Israeli police officers captured a young Palestinian while holding back a Palestinian man. It was unclear what preceded the incident.
Palestinian terrorist groups warned of an “explosion” on Saturday ahead of the controversial Jerusalem Day flag march.
Jerusalem Day, which marks Israel’s conquest of the Old City and East Jerusalem of Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War, is celebrated by religious national Jews, especially young people who parade through the capital while dancing with Israeli flags. .
Israel has reportedly sent messages to Hamas through Egypt and Qatar, warning that it will attack Gaza if the terrorist group that rules the enclave launches rockets at Israel because of the march.
Last year, Israel ended up changing the traditional route of the march at eleven o’clock when tensions were rising. Israeli police had repeatedly clashed with Palestinians at the Temple Mount shrine during the last days of the holy month of Ramadan, leaving hundreds injured.
There was also tension over possible Palestinian evictions from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
The organizers then announced the cancellation of the event, but hundreds of participants arrived in the Old Town.
Shortly afterwards, Hamas launched a rocket attack on Jerusalem in which it ended up starting an 11-day war between Gaza and Israel.
You are a dedicated reader
We are very happy to have read articles from the X Times of Israel over the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago, to offer demanding readers like you mandatory coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not created a pay wall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help us support our work by joining The Times of Israel community.
For just $ 6 a month, you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel WITHOUT ADVERTISING, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel community.
Thank you, David Horovitz, founding editor of The Times of Israel
Join our community Join our community Already a member? Please sign in to stop seeing this