Palestinian PM: Israeli flag march ‘crossed all red lines’

Far-right Israeli attacks in occupied East Jerusalem have been denounced by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh as “violence that crossed all red lines.”

During the so-called “flag march” on Sunday, tens of thousands of flag-waving, ultranationalist Israelis attacked the Muslim district of the Old City.

The provocative march, which took place in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, was designed to commemorate Israel’s 1967 occupation and subsequent annexation of East Jerusalem, which the international world has not recognized.

While backed by armed Israeli troops, some screamed racist slogans such as “Death to Arabs” and abused Palestinian residents.

Some Jewish groups also stormed the Al-Aqsa compound, causing Palestinians to fear that they were trying to disrupt the status quo at Islam’s third holiest site.

At the 35-acre compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, Jewish prayers are prohibited.

The Temple Mount is the name given to it by Jews.

“Israel yesterday has crossed all red lines and international treaties with its repeated aggression against Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. It attempts to impose a reality that doesn’t align with the historical status quo of Al-Aqsa mosque,” Shtayyeh said.

A day earlier, dozens of Palestinians were arrested in occupied East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank during protests against the march, and more than 165 people were injured, with injuries ranging from tear gas inhalation to beatings and wounds from live rounds and rubber-coated steel bullets.

Large groups of Israelis assaulted Palestinian neighborhoods after the march, harming residents and their property.

According to Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Ramallah in the West Bank, the Shattyeh has started publishing announcements “since yesterday.”

“He had strong statements today saying that Israel needed more than 3,000 Israeli army and police officers to secure the city,” Ibrahim said.

“He said there’s a difference between occupying the city militarily and being the occupying power – and actually having sovereignty [over it].”