The Jerusalem District Police is preparing for Jerusalem Day events, especially the flag parade that will pass through Damascus Gate and Jaffa Gate to the Western Wall on Thursday. 3,270 Border Police officers will guard all Jerusalem Day events.
Jerusalem District Commander Maj. Gen. Doron Turgeman commented on the police deployment on Wednesday, noting: "We completed the preparations with meticulous staff work and completed field patrols in which we passed through all the arenas. We also provide a preliminary response to rule out carbon and disturbances. The carbon aspect is central and we are preparing for it with a significant investment. There are 15 and another 37 excluded. Our preliminary preparations are significant. No potential for disturbances is allowed to take place. Whatever we don't know how to prevent, we will react quickly. There is a significant set of safety with a large number of braking points to regulate the crowd. We are also preparing for protests with freedom of expression alongside the prevention of friction. We also have a consciousness room that works against monitoring incitement."
Jerusalem District Commander Doron Turgeman and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai at the Western Wall Plaza, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Commissioner Turgeman emphasized that the police are also preparing for the possibility of shooting at Jerusalem during Jerusalem Day: "Part of the preparation is practicing a situation of red alert and shooting with clinging to the wall, lying in a place or sheltering nearby. We are in a sequence of alerts. There are alerts and we will act accordingly. There will be no flag parade on the Temple Mount."
Contrary to the district commander's statements, in recent days the Palestinian networks have been distributing posters claiming that the marchers intend to reach the Temple Mount. Among other things, the posters distributed during these hours read: "Next we will fight together in the procession of shame and Judaization. Participate in Thursday morning prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque," "The occupation plays with fire and inflames the religious war." Elsewhere it reads, "I invite you to gather and participate in holding the great Fajr prayer at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, postponing the flag march and dealing with the settler aggression against our blessed mosque."
One of the inciting posters published, photo: Arab networks
The Hamas spokesman also used similar terminology to inflame the spirits ahead of the flag parade. Against this background, the information headquarters in the Prime Minister's Office distributes an infographic of the route of the flag parade for the police, in which the route of the marchers' procession is marked. In addition, the headquarters disseminates information according to which this is the route of the march that has been customary for 30 years in the city, which does pass through the Old City, but at no point reaches the Temple Mount.
Contrary to Palestinian claims, the end point of the parade is known at the Western Wall, not on the Mount, and this is where the marchers gather at the end.
Another poster opposing the flag parade, photo: Arab networks
As first reported by Israel Hayom, a document discussed at the last political-security cabinet meeting states that the parade will take place in the usual format. "This is not a dramatic decision, but a continuation of the norm in a sovereign state. Just as the sun rises every morning, so the parade will continue in its format." Cabinet ministers said at the time that "an unequivocal instruction was given to hold the parade as planned. Hamas has no veto or threat to tell us if and where to march in Jerusalem." Last year, the parade passed as planned throughout Jerusalem without exceptional incidents, but two years ago the Guardian of the Walls events broke out against the background of the diversion of the march route from the Muslim Quarter.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us