There is 'No Fear' as Tensions High in Jerusalem Ahead of Flag March, Israeli Activist Says

The "Flag March" event started to be marked after the 1967 Six Day War, when Israel captured the east of the disputed city of Jerusalem from Jordan. Every year, thousands participate in the parade that culminates with a prayer at the Western Wall. This year, an organiser says even more people than ever are expected.

Today, Israel is on high alert. Later in the day, at 4 p.m. local time, thousands of Israelis will gather in the centre of Jerusalem to participate in the so-called "Flag March", an annual event that has been held since 1968 which marks the unification of Jerusalem.

Thousands of soldiers and policemen will be securing the march, whose participants are expected to stroll through the streets and the neighbourhoods of Jerusalem's Old City, an area which is home to a large Arab community that is often hostile to Israel.

Supporters of Itamar Ben-Gvir, member of Israel's Knesset (parliament) and head of the one-man far right "Jewish Power" (Otzma Yehudit) party, wave their country's national flag as he attempts to march to Damascus Gate in east Jerusalem, on June 10, 2021.

© EMMANUEL DUNAND

Palestinians have already called the decision to hold the event a "provocation".

The Joe Biden administration has gone so far as to warn the Israeli government to change the route of the march and avoid points of friction in Arab neighbourhoods.

Israeli security has alerted the public that clashes are expected. The country's Iron Dome anti-missile defence system has been deployed in an anticipation of rockets being fired at Israel by militants in the Gaza Strip.

Not Scared

Yehuda Sharabany, the head of projects' division at Im Tirtzu, a pro-Israeli NGO that organises the event, says he and thousands of other Israelis "have no fear".

"In recent years, some have been trying to scare us and warn us not to visit Jerusalem or stay there. But we have no fear. This event has been held for the past 54 years and the Arabs have learned to accept and live with it. It is only now that they and various foreign governments are making a fuss."

Weak Government

While Sharabany wasn't able to pinpoint an exact time when the flag march started to be seen as unacceptable, he claims to know what triggered the latest attempts to cancel the event. First off, the country has seen a resurgence of Palestinian nationalism in recent years. The second was the establishment of Israel's current government under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in June 2021.

Bennett's coalition is comprised of eight parties with opposing ideologies. It relies on the support of Raam, an Islamic party believed to have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement that has been outlawed in many countries around the globe.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks about Israeli couple arrested in Turkey for snapping, sharing photos of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s home.

© YouTube/News Night

Raam and the liberal parties of the current coalition have rejected the march, and they have called on the Prime Minister to either cancel it altogether or change its route so that it will not go through the Palestinian neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem.

"Such a party as Raam is illegal in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states but it is a political player in Israel," says Sharabany. "And because they influence decision makers, Arabs are getting bolder. We see it when students are waving Palestinian flags on campuses across Israel. When Arab lawmakers are calling to attack Israeli police and when ordinary Israelis are scared to enter such Arab cities as Umm Al Fahm for fear of being attacked."

Only Way Forward

Sharabany believes that the Palestinians are getting bolder too every time Israel shows weakness. Last year, the Jewish state cracked under domestic and international pressure, changing the route of the flag parade to avoid angering the Palestinians.

That concession, however, didn't help. Palestinian militants launched a barrage of rockets towards Jerusalem and other Israeli cities. Israel retaliated, launching the Guardian of the Walls operation in May 2021.

"We shouldn't be scared of Hamas. If we do so, it will explode in our faces, and the next confrontation will be multi-faceted," says the activist. "The only way for Israel to avoid this scenario is by establishing a national government that would not sit down with terrorists. Secondly, we need to use force to curb those, who threaten the state and, lastly, we need to integrate those Arabs, who want to live along us."