Clashes ahead of controversial Jerusalem Day March

Palestinians and Israelis clashed on the Esplanade of the Mosques this Sunday, hours before a massive march for the jerusalem daywhich the Israelis celebrate as the “reunification” of the city, but which the Palestinians reject because it marked the occupation of the eastern half 55 years ago.

After finishing the morning prayers of the Muslims in the al aqsa mosqueA small group of Palestinians have barricaded themselves on the grounds to throw rocks and fireworks at the dozens of Jews who have gathered around the temple, located on the Esplanade of the Mosques.

The esplanade, where the Al Aqsa Mosque is located, is one of the three holiest places for Muslims and the holiest for Jews, who call it the Temple Mount and at whose feet stands the Wailing Wall, place reserved for Jewish worship The Esplanade of the Mosques is in Jordanian custodyalthough the accesses are controlled by Israel, as it occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War.

Under the current “status quo”, Jews cannot access the esplanade to pray, although they can do so as visitors. Many of them defy these norms and provoked a response from Palestinians and Muslims.

Dozens of Jewish settlers took to the grounds this Sunday to pray to mark Jerusalem Day, including far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir, something seen by Palestinians as a provocation

jerusalem day

Israel commemorates Jerusalem Day this Sunday, which it considers the reunification of the city in 1967while the Palestinians see it as the beginning of the occupation of its territory The traditional “Parade of Flags” starts in the afternoon in the west of the city and then continues to the symbolic Damascus Gate of the Old City.

From there thousands of young Jews, mostly far right, cross the alleys of the Citadel until you reach the Wailing Wall, where the ceremonies will end. Israeli authorities have announced that they have allowed the march despite calls for this route to be changed to avoid a reaction from the Palestinian population.

In June- from 2021 this same march sparked rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into the Holy City, which would mark the beginning of a… 11 Day War Escalation with a balance of over 270 dead.

On that occasion, the Islamist group Hamas, which de facto controls Gaza, had threatened to launch rockets, something it did again in the run-up to this Sunday, in case Israel “crosses the red lines,” hinting at possible new collisions between the Israeli police and Palestinian believers in the Esplanade of the mosques, located in the old city.

Faced with possible violent episodes during the march, which is characterized by the racist chants of its participants, Police have activated maximum alert state in the city and deployed some 3,000 officers and several reservist companies.

“As we approach May 29, I call on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and make wise decisions to avoid another violent conflict that will only cost more lives,” the UN envoy to the Middle East said. East Saturday. Medium, Tor Wennesland.

“I am deeply concerned about the spiral of violence that has claimed too many Palestinian and Israeli lives in recent weeks,” he added, referring to the tensions spike in the area that began more than two months ago and has been running for some 50 years. has left people. dead Palestinians and 18 people in Israel.