National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ascended the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City on Thursday ahead of the planned Jerusalem Day flag march.
Ben-Gvir declared the Temple Mount to be “in our hands” amid rising tensions ahead of the flag march, stressing he had “restored sovereignty on the Temple Mount thanks to determination and deterrence.”
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli activisits from across the political spectrum clashed in Jerusalem’s Old City ahead of the flag march.
In one outburst of violence, a group of youths got into an altercation with Old City residents and left-wing activists from the Standing Together movement, including throwing chairs at them.
In another case, the left-wing activists were escorted out of the Old City by Israel Police during what the activists referred to as a “solidarity guard” meant to provide protection to local Arabs and Palestinians over fears of violence during the march.
The activists, Standing Together added, were there to prevent “extremist settlers” from harming Palestinian residents of the old city during the march.
Earlier this week, Democrats MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv warned the Israel Police that this year’s Jerusalem Day flag march poses a serious risk to non-Jewish residents of Jerusalem.
Kariv cited recent racist and nationalistic attacks on Christians in recent weeks, along with the long history of the flag march resulting in violence and chaos in the Muslim Quarter, as evidence of the increased risk this year.
This is a developing story.