Wednesday marks the annual Jerusalem Day holiday when Israelis celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli control after the 1967 Six-Day War. However, this year's celebrations are taking place amid heightened tensions and an escalating conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Video: The Flag March in Jerusalem / Credit: Shmuel Buchris and Yoni Rykner

Thousands of Israeli police officers took up positions across Jerusalem in preparation for the yearly march, which includes tens of thousands of flag-bearing Israeli youths marching, dancing, and singing in unison as they make their way across the capital, including through the old city.

Palestinian residents in previous years have often tried to sabotage it, and this year was no exception. Even before the march, there were reported clashes near the Damascus Gate of the old city, which is where the march passes through as they make their way into the Muslim Quarter.

 This year's march occurs against the backdrop of the nearly nine-month-long conflict in Gaza, heightening concerns about potential wider upheaval and violence due to the ongoing Gaza war following the Hamas atrocities.

קיצוניים יהודים הכו פלסטינים ועיתונאים בשער שכם. בהם גם ניר חסון חברינו @nirhasson מחריד !! pic.twitter.com/j5vtSW0dPd

— Yossi Eli (@Yossi_eli) June 5, 2024

Around 1,600 Jews ascended to the Temple Mount starting from the morning hours Wednesday in order to mark and celebrate Jerusalem Day. Dozens of Jews were instructed to stay away from the area in the morning, and around 15 people were detained and arrested for "prayer, singing, and bowing" (Israeli authorities do not allow active worship by Jews on the Temple Mount because of possible clashes with Muslims consider the area to be the third holiest site in Islam and have built there a large mosque spanning the almost the entire plaza). In the afternoon hours, clashes began between Jews and Palestinians in the area of Damascus Gate, where three people were arrested.

Towards the afternoon hours, clashes occurred between Jewish youths and Muslims at Damascus Gate and the Old City. The youths were accompanied along the way by activists and photographers from the left-wing organization "Standing Together" – which as part of its activities in recent months has held "alternative" memorial ceremonies, collected donations for residents of Gaza, and assisted aid trucks in reaching the Strip. During the clashes, photographers and journalists were also injured, including Nir Hasson, a journalist from Haaretz newspaper.

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Israel's capital saw throngs of revelers descend on its historic center on Thursday, singing celebratory songs of unity and holding blue-and-white Israeli flags to mark the anniversary of its reunification during the 1967 Six-Day War. 

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Angi Walch, a staunch supporter of Israel who is a leading advocate for the Jewish state in Germany, arrived in Israel just so she could take part in the annual flag march for the first time. She brought a flag in her backpack. 

Walch, who has participated in many pro-Israel events in her home country, could not stop smiling. With clear joy, she told Israel Hayom, "The most moving thing for me is just seeing that the Jewish people have returned to their homeland and that Jerusalem is in the State of Israel. This is one of the happiest and most special moments I have ever witnessed."  

Eyal Shapira came from the community of Efrat in Gush Etzion, together with his wife Edith and their three children. "It was important for me to have the kids see the city and its history; so that they see the entire nation celebrate." Edith added, "Jerusalem is ours. It's amazing to think how far we have come. This should not be taken for granted." 

Yotam, 16, lives in Eilat. He came with his friends who study with him at a yeshiva in Dimona. "We come here every year. This flag march has a special vibe to it," he said. Yehonatan Libar from Talmon said," We are here to show our presence in Jerusalem – our capital. We want to unite the people to celebrate in Jerusalem.'. 

Uri, 16, said: "I am excited to be here at this event. There is a special atmosphere. It is really uplifting to be here." David arrived from Carmiel in northern Israel, wrapped in the Israeli flag and hoisting the Jerusalem flag. "I am extremely excited by this; it is just such a great feeling. The people of Israel are here on this day, feeling the unity and history of Jerusalem. It feels as though I am born again."

The annual event took place amid heightened tensions with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, just days after the recent flare-up in Gaza. The flag march kicked off from the city center and then continued into the Old City through the Nablus Gate and onto the Western Wall. Several skirmishes between Arabs and Jews were noted during the events. 

Earlier in the day, several Jewish groups ascended Temple Mount, including a cabinet minister and several lawmakers from the Coalition. This prompted condemnation from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. 

Jerusalem Day ended with a state ceremony at Ammunition Hill, a site that saw some of the fiercest fighting during the Six-Day War. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog delivered speeches at the event. 

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Despite the current escalation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed for the Jerusalem Day flag march to proceed as planned – that is along its traditional route through the Old City's Muslim Quarter – and even asked for the information to be known as quickly as possible for the purpose of clarity, Israel Hayom has learned. 

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In a document that will be discussed at the upcoming Diplomatic-Security Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu wrote, "This is not a dramatic decision, but a continuation of the norm in a sovereign country. Just as the sun rises every morning, so the parade will continue in its usual format."

Security and political officials estimate that the march will indeed proceed as planned, despite the IDF's Operation Shield and Arrow in the Gaza Strip, and assessed on Wednesday evening that the campaign was nearing its end. 

A source familiar with the matter said that Netanyahu gave "an unequivocal directive to hold the parade as planned. Hamas will not tell us whether or how to march in Jerusalem." 

The police have been instructed to report on the necessary security arrangements to ensure the safety of the participants, and the prevailing assumption is that terror groups will not connect the current escalation with the Jerusalem Day celebrations next week. 

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Israeli aircraft carried out a series of airstrikes on terrorist sites in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian territory that caused at least 20 fires in southern Israel.

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The airstrikes targeted facilities used by Hamas terrorists for meetings to plan attacks, the IDF said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

"The Hamas terrorist organization is responsible for what is happening in the Gaza Strip and will bear the consequences of its actions. The IDF is prepared for all scenarios, including the resumption of hostilities, in the face of continued terrorist operations from the Gaza Strip," an IDF statement said.

The flare-up, a first test for Israel's new government, followed the so-called flag march in east Jerusalem on Tuesday by Israeli nationalists that had drawn threats of reprisal by Hamas, the ruling armed group in Gaza.

A Hamas spokesman, confirming the Israeli attacks, said Palestinians would continue to pursue their "brave resistance and defend their rights and sacred sites" in Jerusalem.

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The Jerusalem flag march marking the reunification of the capital in 1967 took place on Tuesday under heavy security and amid ongoing threats by Hamas to resume hostilities.

The marchers were hurled rocks and insults by Arab rioters shortly after the march got underway and clashes were reported, but it proceeded as planned with at least 2,500 youths dancing with flags as they walked from Jaffa Gate to Damascus Gate. Riots near the Justice Ministry led to the evacuation of the employees for their safety.

Even before the official start of the march around 6 p.m., hundreds of youths with Israeli flags started dancing at the Jaffa Gate plaza just off the old city in anticipation of the event. The official route was not supposed to go through the Muslim Quarter, in an attempt to avoid friction and a large police presence was felt all across the area, particularly at the Damascus Gate, the endpoint for the march, where thousands were expected to dance.

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After several weeks of debates and a postponement of the rally because of the tensions with Arab extremists and Hamas, Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev gave the go-ahead Monday afternoon.

Israeli security forces have been heavily deployed throughout Jerusalem and Defense Minister Benny Gantz approved a series of targets in Gaza for the IDF to attack if Hamas fires missiles at Israel, and additional Iron Dome batteries have been deployed at various locations. Flights landing at Tel Aviv's main airport were also given a special route.

The original march was canceled at the very last minute in May just before Operation Guardian of the Walls because of various threats from Hamas and extremists to disrupt Jerusalem Day events. That escalation led to the 11-day operation with Hamas, which resulted in a shaky truce.

Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Arab Ra'am party, called Tuesday's march "a reckless provocation, the aim of which is to call for hatred and incitement, and an attempt to strike up a conflict for political reasons."

"The public security minister and the police should have canceled it. I call on all sides not to get dragged into an escalation and show maximum restraint. No doubt the aim of the march organizers is to challenge the new government and exhaust it through a series of volatile events in the near future and to take us back to an unnecessary escalation that will endanger human lives we experienced in recent months."

He continued: "Ra'am is calling to invest political efforts to reach a political arrangement between the two people – Israelis and Palestinians – that would fulfill the vision we strive for: achieving peace, mutual security, cooperation and empathy between the two nations. That is the only vision that can put an end to a bloody conflict."

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Israeli security forces deployed heavily throughout Jerusalem on Tuesday ahead of the controversial flag march set to take place in the city in the afternoon hours.

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The march was initially planned for last week but was postponed to this Tuesday, June 15, when the Israel Police refused to authorize its planned route through the Old City's Damascus Gate entrance and Muslim Quarter, known flashpoints in the Israeli capital.

Hamas, the terrorist group controlling the Gaza Strip, had threatened to react violently should the annual parade, organized by right-wing groups, take place.

In preparation for a possible outbreak of hostilities, Defense Minister Benny Gantz approved a series of targets in Gaza for the IDF to attack if Hamas fires missiles at Israel, and additional Iron Dome batteries have been deployed at various locations.

"The situation in the Palestinian arena is combustible and we are preparing for the possibility of renewed hostilities," IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said Monday amid the heightened security tensions.

Israel Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai canceled all personal leaves and deployed hundreds of officers and Border Policemen to mixed Jewish-Arab cities. He also issued a directive to employ a heavy hand against any rioters.

Muhammad Hamada, the spokesman for Hamas' Jerusalem branch that operates out of the Gaza Strip, said on Tuesday that Egyptian mediators have asked the armed Palestinian factions in the coastal enclave "not to escalate the situation over the flag march, but we promise that all possibilities are open to us."

Tuesday's march poses an immediate challenge for new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who took office on Sunday.

Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev stressed Monday afternoon that the march would take place in accordance with the outline approved by the police.

"The flag march will take place, this is the plan," Bar-Lev said.

As for Hamas' threats to fire rockets on Israel, if the march is allowed to take place, Bar-Lev said that "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel. In a democracy, it is permissible and important to demonstrate as long as it is according to the law and in our case according to the rules set by the police and that is how we will act."

"I am under the impression that the police are well prepared and that a great effort has been made to maintain the delicate fabric of life, and public safety," Bar-Lev said.

His statement gave no details on the parade route. But Hebrew media reports said the crowd would walk past the Damascus Gate but not enter the Muslim Quarter.

Hamas on Sunday urged Palestinians across Gaza and the West Bank to stage a "day of rage" on Tuesday, should the flag march take place.

A statement by the terrorist group called on the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem to flock to the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount and riot.

Hamas warned that "the occupier has re-released his stray hordes to defile the alleys and roads of Old Jerusalem, and to hoist the flags of the fleeting [Zionist] entity, in a move that only reflects its failure and regression."

Another Hamas spokesman, Abd al-Latif Qanou, said: "The flags march is like an explosive that will cause a new campaign to protect Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa mosque to ignite."

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Twitter: "We warn of the dangerous repercussions that may result from the occupying power's intention to allow extremist Israeli settlers to carry out the flag march in occupied Jerusalem on [Tuesday]."

Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second-most powerful terrorist group in Gaza, also issued a threat on Tuesday.

"We will respond with force to any Israeli provocation in Jerusalem, and we will stand as an impenetrable damn against anyone who tries harming Al-Aqsa mosque because this land is our land, and the mosque is our mosque. Israel has no foothold in it. Even if blood is spilled, it is cheap compared to the importance of Al-Aqsa," the Iran-backed terrorist group said in a statement.

Earlier Monday, Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, reported that Gaza-based terrorist groups were bracing for a renewal of hostilities with Israel and have warned Israel via Egyptian mediators against holding the flag parade.

According to a source within one of the terrorist groups, there is a consensus among the armed factions in Gaza that the flag march should be prevented and that the option of renewing military hostilities was seriously on the table. According to the Al-Akhbar report, the message delivered to Israel via the Egyptian mediators was to cancel the march, particularly in the area of Damascus Gate and the Temple Mount, at the risk of sparking a regional war.

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"Tensions [are] rising again in Jerusalem at a very fragile & sensitive security & political time, when UN & Egypt are actively engaged in solidifying the ceasefire," UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland said on Twitter.

"Urge all relevant parties to act responsibly & avoid any provocations that could lead to another round of confrontation," he said.

The US Embassy in Jerusalem prohibited its employees and their families from entering the Old City on Tuesday.

Dean Shmuel-Elmas and Daniel Siryoti contributed to this report.

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The diplomatic-security cabinet on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for the so-called "flag march" in Jerusalem's Old City next week, June 15, if organizers and police can reach an agreement. The decision came a day after police barred the event's route, fearing it would rekindle conflict between Israel and Palestinian terrorists in Gaza.

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"The flag march will happen," a Likud official told Israel Hayom. "[Attorney General Avichai] Mendelblit forced [Public Security Minister Amir] Ohana and Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu to enable the cabinet to decide on the march. The vote in the cabinet was a tie. Therefore, the prime minister insisted and concluded that the march will take place early next week, so as not to surrender to Hamas' dictates."

Several right-wing Israeli groups had planned a flag-waving procession through the walled Old City's Damascus Gate and into its Muslim Quarter last Thursday, drawing warnings from the Hamas terrorist organization, which controls the Gaza Strip, of renewed hostilities should it proceed.

Israel Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai had voiced his concerns to the prime minister about holding the march along the original route, saying the police would struggle to safeguard the event on an operational level if it passes through Damascus Gate and the Muslim Quarter.

"Such a route could ignite an entire country. The concern is that it will incite riots in Wadi Ara, the south, in Acre, in Haifa, and in mixed cities. There are not enough police officers in light of the existing missions," a police official said. The Shin Bet security agency suggested holding the event at the Western Wall plaza. Shabtai is expected to present an alternative route to the political echelon on Wednesday.

"The parade will take place this coming Tuesday in a format to be agreed between the police and the parade's organizers," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.

Prior to the cabinet vote, Hamas boasted: "The cancellation of the flag march is proof of the new equation we have set, whereby Jerusalem is a red line."

Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, told reporters: "Hamas warns the occupier [Israel], the mediators and the entire world against the flag march through the Old City and al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Hamas' message is clear: We don't want the Thursday event to be like what happened after May 10," he added, referring to the day before the recent round of fighting between Israel and Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza.

"Jerusalem for us is a red line. We are not fond of wars, but our resistance is ready to defend the holy city," al-Hayya said.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz, seeking to avoid a security escalation, said: "Considering the challenges, I will continue to spearhead a responsible policy from a security standpoint. I will not let political considerations be a part of this issue…"

Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen, meanwhile, told Army Radio before the cabinet vote: "We won't give in, the march must be held. In the State of Israel, a Jew can walk with the Israeli flag and be proud."

Far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir rejected the march's postponement as "surrender to Hamas," saying on Twitter he would still "arrive on Thursday in the Old City of Jerusalem and march with Israeli flags."

A new government is expected to be sworn in this coming Sunday, June 13, if it receives the requisite votes in the Knesset. If the new government is indeed sworn in, the flag march will take place two days later, as stated, on June 15, meaning it will be the headache of the designated prime minister, Naftali Bennett, of the Yamina party.

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