‘Provocative’ march in Jerusalem

In a provocative move, dozens of hardline Jews and settlers and members of the Israeli government and Knesset staged the annual Flag March at the Damascus Gate, one of the main gates of the Old City of Jerusalem, on Thursday, May 18, storming the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Under Israeli police protection, the march participants included controversial Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, far-right Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, Knesset member Boaz Bismuth, and the head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset, Yuli-Yoel Edelstein. 

Coincidently, Palestinian journalists reported that Israeli settlers attacked residents and destroyed their vehicles in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem, adding that some settlers threw stones at journalists who were covering the march.

Israeli settlers were shouting slogans against the Palestinians, such as “We will burn your village,” while snipers were deployed at the Damascus Gate to secure the march.

In response, a Palestinian demonstration was staged in the eastern city of Gaza. However, Israeli occupation forces clashed with protesters and injured some of them.

What is the Flag March?

The Flag March is a parade with Israeli flags that has been organized on “Jerusalem Day,” which falls on 28 Iyar, the second month of the Jewish calendar, since 1968, one year after the Six-Day War between Israel and Arab countries. The march is a celebration of Jews on the occasion of occupying the Palestinian territories. 

Arab world condemns

The UAE condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by members of the Israeli government, Knesset members and extremists under police protection.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation “reiterated its firm position on the need to provide full protection for Al-Aqsa Mosque and stop serious and provocative violations in it.”

“The ministry underscored the need to respect the role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan over the holy sites and endowments in accordance with international law and the historical situation at hand and not to compromise the authority of the Jerusalem Endowment Administration and Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the statement read.

Egypt also condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, saying that the march and the storming are “provocative actions and practices aimed at harassing worshipers and provoking the feelings of the general Palestinian people.”

“Egypt affirmed that this represents an irresponsible escalation that fuels feelings and increases the existing tension in the occupied territories,” said Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid in a statement.

He added that Egypt, which last week brokered a truce between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza, called for the need to respect the existing legal and historical situation in Jerusalem, in which Al-Aqsa Mosque is a purely Islamic endowment.

Egypt affirmed that East Jerusalem is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories according to the June 1967 borders.

Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abu El Gheit said the Israeli actions are “reckless” and “add fuel to the fire.”

Additional reporting by Palestinian journalist Hani Al Shaer