Despite threats from both sides of the Palestinian territories and an active campaign to incite Arabs in east Jerusalem to rise and riot, Israel's 'Jerusalem Day' and the Flag March through the Old City came and went without significant violence.
"Israel has no authority over any part of Jerusalem," stated the Palestinian Foreign Ministry on the occasion of Jerusalem Day, marking the unification of the capital of Israel. In a statement published Thursday by the PA, it was further written that "Israel, the occupying power, its officials, the settler militias, the flag, and the occupying forces have no sovereignty, place or authority over any part of Jerusalem, its old city, its alleys, its walls, and its holy shrines. Israel's so-called 'Jerusalem Day' is a celebration of serious violations of international law and the United Nations Charter, including the prohibition of acquiring territories by force. What is known as the 'Flag Parade' embodies the racist, discriminatory, and oppressive regime of Jewish supremacy and apartheid."
This week's post for Shabbat is dedicated to Jerusalem Day: Yerushalayim Shel Zahav
ā Adam Albilya - ××× ××××××× (@AdamAlbilya) May 19, 2023
A MUST WATCH! šš¶
Shabbat Shalom All ā¤ļø pic.twitter.com/9WiC00qb6s
A Hamas spokesman added to the tensions and threatened: "The Flag Parade that the Zionist enemy holds every year, during which they invade the Palestinian holy city of Jerusalem is one of the tools by which he conducts a religious war against the Palestinian people. The Zionist enemy is escalating his religious war against the holy places of Islam and Christianity. The occupation bears full responsibility for the consequences of what will happen in Jerusalem due to this parade."
Despite the harsh and inflammatory statements on behalf of the PA, the protest against Jerusalem Day and the flag parade failed to make the transition from social media to physical action with some minor exceptions.
Jerusalem Day Sparks Yet Another Threat from Hamas #Israel #JerusalemDay #Hamas https://t.co/2m5RiZRNGB
ā The Foreign Desk (@ForeignDeskNews) May 19, 2023
Earlier this week, Abu Mazen stated that in his opinion the parade in Jerusalem includes "the clear and systematic recruitment and use of children by Jewish supremacists and the continuation of the teaching of hatred and incitement. He later added that "Israel and its officials are fully responsible for the consequences of its decisions and their threat to international peace and security."
Social media accounts within East Jerusalem called on the crowds to come to Al-Aqsa at night and to barricade themselves in it before the police and blockades were set up. The call for violent rioting, as mentioned, was not really answered. "If we had seen many Palestinians in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, there would have been a reaction to the flag parade from the Gaza Strip," said a journalist from the Gaza Strip during a TikTok video. "We see support on social networks, but no one goes out into to physically protest."
noticeably quite.
ā AbuAliEnglish (@AbuAliEnglishB1) May 18, 2023
Throughout the entire day, reports on Palestinian channels were dominated by the blue and white colors of the #Israeli flags. The overall sense in these channels was that of powerlessness due to the notable absence of a Palestinian response.
Ismail... (2/9)
It should be noted that the Jerusalem Day festivities are continuing Friday as well, which is the actual date of the reunification of Jerusalem according to the Hebrew Calendar. Due to the Sabbath which begins Friday Night, the decision was made to move the celebration to Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli security forces have remained on high alert as a result.
