Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza have convened a rally in the vicinity of the eastern borders to voice their opposition to the settler flag procession that took place in Jerusalem on Thursday. [Abedelhakim Abu Riash, Al Jazeera]
Israeli security forces deployed live ammunition and tear gas to disperse Palestinian protesters who had gathered along the eastern border of the besieged Gaza Strip. The demonstration coincided with a “flag march” held by far-right Israelis in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem. The use of force resulted in injuries sustained by multiple Palestinians.
On Thursday, a considerable number of Palestinians participated in a protest that was summoned by Palestinian factions in reaction to the Israeli march. The Gaza protest denounced the “flag march” in Jerusalem and demanded a cessation of Israeli assaults on the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
Israeli authorities said their military personnel discharged their weapons in response to the hurling of explosive devices by Palestinians towards the partition separating Israel and Gaza.
Osama Abu Qamar, a 50-year-old resident of Gaza’s Jabaliya camp, said had joined the march to express his dissent against the “provocative” march in Jerusalem. The latter event witnessed the closure of several Palestinian throughfares in the city, as far-right Israelis chanted abusive slogans and brandished Israeli flags.
The annual event commemorating the occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem has been marred by violence in recent years. With the recent truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad coming into effect only this week after four days of fighting that resulted in the deaths of 33 Palestinians and one Israeli, there were concerns that the event could trigger further violence.
Abu Qamar, in an interview with Al Jazeera, stated that they will persist in their pursuit of justice and safeguard their territories and holy sites in Jerusalem, without conceding to any opposition.
Huda al-Salibi, accompanied by her family, participated in the march.
Al-Salibi’s statement said that the Gaza Strip was subjected to a prolonged Israeli assault a few days ago. The motive behind this attack was to enforce discriminatory measures proposed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and other extremist ministers, as per al-Salibi’s claims. The ongoing violations in Jerusalem persist as the provocative march is launched today.
Huda al-Salibi, accompanied by her family, participated in the march.
According to al-Salibi’s statement to Al Jazeera, the Gaza Strip was subjected to a prolonged Israeli assault a few days ago. The motive behind this attack was to enforce discriminatory measures advocated by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and other extremist ministers, as per al-Salibi’s assertion. The ongoing violations in Jerusalem persist as a provocative march is launched today.
In anticipation of potential violence, Israel has implemented heightened security measures in the wake of previous flag marches that were marred by Israeli assaults on Palestinians and the chanting of “death to Arabs.”
Following the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which is considered Islam’s third holiest site, by Israeli forces and the subsequent evictions of Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, violence erupted. As a result, the march in 2021 was rerouted.
The governing body of Gaza, Hamas, has issued a call to international and Arab governments to intervene and halt the provocative flag parade in Jerusalem. The group has warned that failure to do so will result in a further escalation of tensions in the coastal enclave. It is worth noting that Gaza has been under an Israeli air, sea, and land blockade since 2007.
Challenging the Occupation
Abd Allatif al-Qanou’, a spokesman for Hamas, has leveled an accusation against the Israeli government, alleging that it has exploited the occasion of Jerusalem Unification Day to promote, enable, and safeguard the recurrent incursions by Israeli settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque. On Thursday morning, Israeli ministers and Knesset members spearheaded a recent event leading up to the flag march.
He stated that the reprehensible conduct constitutes a blatant transgression against our most revered religious emblems, our Islamic holy sites, and our hallowed metropolis.
In a recent statement, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a leftist political faction, has declared that the Palestinian people and their resistance are resolute in their opposition to the so-called march of flags and the repeated incursions of Al-Aqsa by the Israeli occupation. The PFLP has made it clear that they will not remain silent in the face of these actions.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an organization with a significant presence in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza, has issued a call for immediate action to denounce the occupation policies and assaults perpetrated against the Palestinian people, their rights, and their sacred sites.
According to Reham Owda, a political analyst based in Gaza, Palestinians view the flag march as a provocative endeavor by Israeli settlers and the far-right administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to alter the existing state of affairs in occupied East Jerusalem. The objective is to “Judaise” the region and establish control over the Old City.
There are concerns among Palestinians that Israel has been incrementally extending its dominion over the Al-Aqsa complex, a site where Jewish worship is proscribed.
The global community supports the proposed two-state solution as a means to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, Israeli administrations have consistently authorized the establishment of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the latter of which is intended to serve as the capital of the Palestinian state. According to Palestinian sources, the expansion of settlements is perceived as a significant obstacle to the establishment of a viable and independent State of Palestine.