Clashes at Al-Aqsa mosque before contested Israeli flag march

JERUSALEM:

On Sunday, hundreds of Jews visited the holy compound ahead of a disputed Jewish nationalist march through the Old City, while Israeli police clashed with Palestinians holed up inside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque.

The annual Jerusalem march commemorates Israel’s 1967 Middle East war victory over Egypt and draws thousands of cheering, chanting participants to the Old City’s tiny stone streets.

Palestinian factions have warned that the flag-waving parade through the city’s Muslim district could reignite their decades-long struggle with Israelis at a time when tensions are at an all-time high.

Police held some Palestinians inside a mosque on the Al-Aqsa site hours before the procession was set to begin, as Jewish visitors gathered for daily tours of the shrine, which is venerated by both Jews and Musli

Police replied with shock grenades after Palestinians threw stones and fired fireworks at them.

A dozen or so young guys dressed in religious clothing stood among the Jewish guests, smiling, singing, and clapping in the direction of the demonstrators. Other Jews held up Israeli flags and sung the national anthem as the gathering increased.

The Gaza Strip’s resistance party, Hamas, criticised videos broadcast online that suggested Jews had prayed at the monument, in defiance of a long-standing ban.

“All of these foolish actions and their repercussions are entirely the responsibility of the Israeli government,” senior Hamas lead

Hamas has positioned itself as a defender of Muslim Jerusalem in recent years. Following weeks of clashes over Palestinian evictions in the city last year, Hamas fired missiles into Israel during the march, which was followed by an 11-day conflict that killed at least 250 Palestinians in Gaza and 13 Israelis.

There has been no change.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday that the march would go ahead as scheduled, despite pleas from some of his coalition allies for a reassessment of the route.

He stated, “Waving the Israeli flag in Israel’s capital is entirely acceptable.” “I request that the participants rejoice responsibly and respectfully.”

srael considers the entire city of Jerusalem to be its everlasting and indivisible capital, whilst Palestinians want the eastern part to be the capital of their future state. Hamas considers all of modern-day Israel to be occupied, despite the fact that it is considered a terrorist organisation by Western nations.

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Palestinians see Sunday’s march as a show of power by Israel, part of a larger strategy to increase Jewish presence across the city.

In April, during the holy month of Ramazan, skirmishes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli police in the Al-Aqsa compound, with Muslims enraged by the growing number of Jewish visitors to the mosque esplanade.

The funeral of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was slain during an Israeli army raid in the West Bank two weeks ago, devolved into mayhem when police charged the mourners.

Al-Aqsa is Islam’s third holiest location. The Temple Mount is also cherished by Jews as a relic of their faith’s two ancient temples.

The journey will end at the Western Wall, a Jewish prayer place beneath the Al-Aqsa mosques, on Sunday.