Desk Report
Publish: 30 May 2022, 11:33 am
Israelis wave national flags in front of Damascus Gate outside Jerusalem's Old City to mark Jerusalem Day, an Israeli holiday celebrating the capture of the Old City during the 1967 Mideast war, Sunday, May 29, 2022 || Photo: Collected
Thousands
of Israeli nationalists, some of them chanting “Death to Arabs,” paraded
through the heart of the main Palestinian thoroughfare in Jerusalem’s Old City
on Sunday, in a show of force that risked setting off a new wave of violence in
the tense city.
The
crowds, who were overwhelmingly young Orthodox Jewish men, were celebrating
Jerusalem Day -- an Israeli holiday that marks the capture of the Old City in
the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians see the event, which passes through the
heart of the Muslim Quarter, as a provocation. Last year, the parade helped
trigger an 11-day war with Gaza militants, and this year's march drew
condemnations from the Palestinians and neighboring Jordan.
Israel
said it deployed thousands of police and security forces for the event, and
violent scuffles between Jewish and Palestinian groups erupted inside the Old
City before the parade began.
As
the march got underway, groups of Orthodox Jewish youths gathered outside
Damascus Gate, waving flags, singing religious and nationalistic songs, and
shouting “the Jewish nation lives” before entering the Muslim Quarter. One
large group chanted “Death to Arabs,” and “Let your village burn down” before
descending into the Old City.
Police
cleared Palestinians out of the area, which is normally a bustling Palestinian
thoroughfare. At one point, a drone flying a Palestinian flag flew overhead
before police intercepted it.
Ahead
of the march, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that “flying the flag of
Israel in the capital of Israel is an obvious thing,” but also urged
participants to celebrate in a “responsible and respectful manner.”
Bennett
later issued a statement instructing police to show “no tolerance” toward the
racist groups. He described them as a “minority that came to set the area on
fire” and vowed to prosecute violent extremists — a step that few Israeli
governments have taken in the past. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called the
racist groups “a disgrace.”
Thousands
of people normally take part in the march through the Muslim Quarter, including
some who shout out nationalistic or racist slogans toward the Palestinians,
before making their way to the Western Wall in the Jewish Quarter on the other
side of the Old City.
Last
year, after weeks of Israeli-Palestinian unrest in Jerusalem, authorities
changed the route of the march at the last minute to avoid the Muslim Quarter.
But it was too late by then, and Hamas militants in Gaza fired a barrage of
rockets toward Jerusalem as the procession was getting underway. That set off
11 days of heavy fighting.
Sunday’s
march came at a time of heightened tensions. Israeli police have repeatedly
confronted stone-throwing Palestinian demonstrators in the disputed compound in
recent months, often firing rubber bullets and stun grenades.
At
the same time, some 19 Israelis have been killed by Palestinian attackers in
Israel and the occupied West Bank in recent weeks, while over 35 Palestinians
have been killed in Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank. Some
were armed, while others were shot while allegedly throwing stones or firebombs
at troops. But several appear appear to have been uninvolved in any violence,
including Shireen Abu Akleh, a well-known correspondent for the Al Jazeera
satellite channel.
Jerusalem
police were criticized internationally for beating mourners at Abu Akleh’s
funeral two weeks ago.
Despite
the recent unrest, Israeli leaders decided to allow this year's parade to take
place along its traditional route through the Muslim Quarter. Ahead the march,
there were small scuffles between Israeli nationalists and Palestinians, who
threw chairs and bottles and shouted “God is great” at the marchers. Some
marchers sprayed pepper spray at Palestinians and journalists. In one video
shared on social media, a young Jewish man kicked and sprayed an older
Palestinian woman in the face, sending her crumbling to the ground.
Police
also fired rubber-tipped bullets and used clubs and pepper spray to disperse
Palestinian protesters from the area.
The
Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said 62 people were injured, including
23 who needed hospitalization.
Israeli
police said they arrested over 50 suspects suspected of disorderly conduct or
assaulting police officers. It said five officers were injured.
Ahead
of the march, over 2,500 Jews visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site
inside the Old City, as Palestinians barricaded inside the Al Aqsa Mosque threw
rocks and fireworks.
Al
Aqsa is situated on a hilltop compound revered by Muslims and Jews. The mosque
is the third-holiest site in Islam, and the Palestinians are fiercely
protective over what they consider to be a potent symbol of their national
aspirations.
The
compound also is the holiest site for Jews, who call it the Temple Mount and
revere it as the home of the biblical Temples. The competing claims to the site
lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and have triggered
numerous rounds of violence.
Police
also said one of the Jewish groups “violated visitation rules” and was removed.
Israeli media said the group had unfurled Israeli flags in the compound.
Under
longstanding arrangements known as the “status quo,” Jews are allowed to visit
the compound but not pray. In recent years, however, the number of Jewish
visitors has grown significantly, including some who have been spotted quietly
praying.
Such
scenes have sparked Palestinian fears that Israel is plotting to take over or
divide the area. Israel denies such claims, saying it remains committed to the
status quo.
Among
the visitors was Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of a small ultranationalist opposition
party and a follower of the late racist rabbi, Meir Kahane, who entered with
dozens of supporters under heavy police guard.
Palestinians
shouted “God is great” as Ben-Gvir, accompanied by Israeli police, shouted “the
Jewish people live.” Police said they locked the gates of the mosque and said
they made 18 arrests.
Nabil
Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, accused Israel
of “playing with fire irresponsibily and recklessly.”
Jordan
condemned Ben-Gvir’s visit to the site and warned that the “provocative and
escalating march” could make things deteriorate further. Jordan controlled east
Jerusalem until Israel captured it in 1967 and it remains the custodian over
Muslim holy sites.
Israel
captured east Jerusalem, including the Old City, in the 1967 Mideast war.
Israel has annexed east Jerusalem in a move that isn’t internationally
recognized and claims all of the city as its capital. The Palestinians seek
east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
Gaza’s
Hamas rulers praised what they called “the great heroism” shown by Palestinians
at Al Aqsa earlier Sunday. “The Islamic Palestinian Arab identity of the Al
Aqsa Mosque will be protected by our people and their valiant resistance with
all their might,” said Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for the group.
The
group, however, may be wary of getting involved in another round of fighting.
Gaza was hard hit in last year’s war, and the territory is still struggling to
repair the damage. In addition, some 12,000 Gazan laborers are now permitted to
work inside Israel as part of efforts to maintain calm between the enemies.
Renewed fighting could risk losing those jobs, which have given a small boost
to Gaza’s devastated economy.-AP
Subscribe Shampratik Deshkal Youtube Channel
© 2024 Shampratik Deshkal All Rights Reserved. Design & Developed By Root Soft Bangladesh