The ruling Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday called on Palestinians to confront a flag-waving parade planned by Jews through the main Palestinian thoroughfare in Jerusalem’s Old City.
The comments by Hamas added to the already heightened tensions ahead of Thursday’s march and threatened to reignite fighting between Israel and Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, just days after a cease-fire took hold. Two years ago, an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas erupted during the annual march.
While Hamas stayed out of the latest round of fighting, officials with the ruling Islamic group urged Palestinians to oppose Thursday’s parade.
“We ask the people of Jerusalem to mobilize the masses to confront the march of the flags in Jerusalem tomorrow,” said Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas official in Gaza.
Hamas also urged Palestinians in the West Bank and inside Israel to “clash with the occupation” and said it would hold a demonstration with Palestinian flags along Gaza’s heavily fortified frontier with Israel.
The parade is meant to mark “Jerusalem Day,” Israel’s annual celebration of its recapture of east Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites, in the 1967 war.
Israel considers the entire city to be its eternal capital. But the Palestinians claim the area as the capital of a future state.
In a speech marking Jerusalem Day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has broken “new horizons” since capturing east Jerusalem.
“We are committed to safeguarding the security of Jerusalem, to ensuring its prosperity and to continuing its momentum,” he said. “We are also doing this against all of the threats around us.”
Each year, thousands of Israelis participate in the march, waving blue and white Israeli flags and singing songs as they walk through the Muslim Quarter and toward the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall.
Adding to the combustible atmosphere, large numbers of Jews are expected to visit Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site – Har Habayis – early Thursday before the parade.
Under longstanding agreements, Jews are permitted to visit the compound but not pray there. But an increase in such visits in recent years, along with scenes of some Jews quietly praying, have raised concerns among Palestinians that Israel is trying to alter the status quo — a charge Israel denies.
The competing claims to the site lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and often spill over into violence.
Yoram Segal, a senior police official in Jerusalem, said police would deploy some 2,500 officers on Thursday to ensure the day passes without violence.
“We are going to deal harshly with anyone who tries to disturb the peace,” he told reporters.
The march comes less than a week after Israel and the Islamic Jihad terrorist group in Gaza reached a cease-fire that ended five days of heavy fighting.
Hamas, the de facto government in Gaza responsible for the plight of the territory’s 2.3 million people, stayed out of the fighting, while Israel avoided attacking it.
Reham Owda, an independent Gaza-based analyst, said that neither side appears interested in resuming cross-border violence.
“No one is interested in fierce escalation,” she said, but she said the parade could trigger “limited, symbolic” firing of rockets that could in turn spark Israeli airstrikes in retaliation.
If violence erupts in Jerusalem, Hamas could jump into the fray, as it did two years ago.
“The resistance is ready to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque and prevent the Judaization of Jerusalem,” al-Masri said.
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13 Responses
How ill advised it is to march through an Arab shuck waving Israel flags.
What mainstream rav or rosh yeshiva would suggest any yid partake in such an event.
What is the reward risk factor of such a provocation, what is the end benefit
Ibj, you got it right. Although Hamas nor anyone for that matter had right to plunder and kill for any reason, what happened to our “misgarim beumois”?
Most of Gedolei Yisroel were against this. Yes, golus has no control over our souls but our bodies and head needs to be low and accept the golus. Hashem wants our Teshuvah and will bring the geulah. Until then, let’s do what Torah tells us!
Just echoing Ibj: Chazal say one is not allowed to provoke reshai’m in their time. (Unless one is a Tzadik Gamur) In there time means, while they still have the ability to chas v’shalom cause harm. May Hashem protect us. It’s one thing to go marching through the Arab shuk with our arba minim on Succos. In that case we are doing a mitzvah. (Some Rabbanim say even in that case now in golus we should be careful.) Over here it’s just pure provocation. Last time I checked, there is no mitzvah to go marching through the streets of Yerushalayim with Israeli flags. I don’t know kul haTorah kula or anything near that, but even so, I believe I can safely say that there is no such mitzvah. Maybe there is some medrish somewhere. If anyone knows a source to this ‘mitzvah’ please let me know. We should be zoche very soon Sos Tasis v’sagel ha’akara… vla’aluvas nefesh toshia b’mheirah…. and then Hashem, Yerushalayim and klal Yisroel will be happy. It will be Yismichu hashamayim v’sagel ha’aretz.
we are marching through our own territory and who ever says that we are not should be living in another world or land, provocation, the the goyem and Biden and the UN and WHO do not ever tell a jew this…shame on you all, we will march with Hashem ….we are all candles and a Menorah.
Some people have so much reverence for the Israeli flag that they seem to believe that when Moshiach comes there will be an Israeli flag in the Kodesh Hakadashim on top of the Aron Hakodesh. (I don’t mean to be facetious. It just bothers me so much when people make it as if it’s a part of Yidishkeit. Some people mamash turn it into an avoda zara) But in fact, there won’t be a single Israeli flag anywhere in the world just as there won’t be any flag from any nation waving anywhere because there will be Malchus Shamayim – Malchus Beis Dovid and that’s it. I am not against the Israeli government. I think that Bib Netanyahu is a great leader in many ways. I just hate that people worship the Israeli Gov’t and think that it’s somehow a part of Judaism. The Israeli government as a government has nothing to do with Judaism, albeit most of its members are Yidden. It is simply not part of the Jewish religion. I am a ‘generic Jew’. I am not expressing the view of any particular group in Klal Yisroel. This is just so basic. This is not the religion of our ancestors. You could like the Israeli Gov’t and even be proud of it but don’t create a new Yidishkeit. What Hashem gave us at Har Sinai is perfect. I understand that a Yid may feel proud that the current government in Eretz Yisroel is a government that is composed of mostly Jewish people. And it’s called the Jewish State etc. We never had such a thing in golus before and it can be very enchanting but this is still very much a golus gov’t. We must remember that Moshiach has not come yet. We still daven tekah b’shofer gadol lechairuseinu, hashiva shofteinu (the real judicial reform) v’lerushalayim ircha, es tzemach Dovid, v’sechezena einainu, uvenei Yerushalayim etc. We end all of our tefilos with Aleinu… v’alkein nekave lecha. We must have hakaras hatov for any benefit we get from anyone, that includes the Israeli Gov’t. We must certainly thank every Israeli soldier that we see, with a smile. They are our dear brothers and sisters that put their lives on the line to protect us. Let’s have the greatest respect for every single Yid. We must treat each other like kings and queens. We are all Hashem’s children. We must love each other with the greatest love, and we will very soon see an end to this long and bitter golus and greet Mosahiach Tzidkeinu.
to all you “chareidi” anti-zionists: THIS IS OUR COUNTRY NOT THEIRS. HASHEM GAVE US THIS LAND, & TODAY WE CLEARLY HAVE THE UPPER HAND!
if the IL govt and IDF were ACTUALLY FRUM, starting tomorrow they would kick off a massive operation to completely remove all dangerous jihad-supporting “palestinians” from all territories under our control, institute strict tznius laws on all streets across the country, dismantle al aqsa and the church-of-the-holy-whatevertheheck, institute the death penalty for all captured arab terrorists, and ban all christians from entering the country.
MILITANT MORALISHKEIT
nothing less
if the IL govt doesn’t want to do this then I and my buddies are gonna start my own militia and do this on our own…
@A56
First of all kudos, finally someone who knows something!
Second, pls correct me if i’m wrong, but i believe the gemarah states that EVEN a tzadik gamur cannot contend with a rasha “b’shaah misachakas lo”.
Sara Rifka: Of course this is our land. However, we are unfortunately still in golus. Would you march through the Arab Shuk if it was full of hungry lions? It is wrong and totally irresponsible to provoke these wild animals that are willing to commit suicide to kill a Jew chas v’shalom. May Hashem protect us! I am not saying that we shouldn’t go to the Old City of Yerushalayim in general. I am just saying that going ahead and doing it in a way that we know good and well provokes those that want to see us all dead chas v’shalom is totally 100% wrong. Consider the safety of your fellow Jews! Your brothers and sisters. You have no right to go ahead and do something that can chas v’shalom endanger one Jewish life. May Hashem protect us. Why don’t we just all get together and daven for the geulsh shelaima instead?! That would definitely be something very positive, important and effective! As far as the UN, Biden, WHO, etc., they couldn’t care less about Jewish blood. Are you going to do something recommended by our enemies?! If they are just sitting by and not are not saying anything that is not a good sign at all and if they do come out against it of course it would also certainly not be for the sake of our protection. Let’s truly care about each other and that will bring the Geulah Shelaima!
we should not try to provoke the arabs
we should take the initiative and remove them from our midst
be proactive
chash Thank you for correcting me. The gemara does seem to leave it as a question and says that perhaps even a tzadikyh gamur can not start up with a rasha b’sha’a shemisachekes lo.
baby squirel – may HKBH protect us all from your shtusim .
There is a reason why we listen to our gdolim who are steeped in torah , yiras shomayim and midos tovos.
If someone needs any backup , just have a look at your hotheaded childish talk – in the name of frumkeit no less!
BH that frum jews listen to their rabbonim and not to hotheaded irresponsible pple like our ‘baby sq’
baby squirel – may HKBH protect us from your shtusim .
There is a reason why we listen to our gdolim who are steeped in torah , yiras shomayim and midos tovos.
If someone needs any backup , just have a look at your hotheaded childish talk – in the name of frumkeit no less!
BH that frum jews listen to their rabbonim and not to hotheaded irresponsible pple like our ‘baby sq’