By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Tensions were rising in Jerusalem, where several Jewish activist groups planned to march Thursday to demand that the entire ancient city – including the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa complex – be placed under Jewish control.
Dubbed the “March of the Maccabees,” they also wanted to memorialize Israeli victims of the Israel-Hamas war.
In a reaction, Hamas, condemned as a Palestinian Islamist terrorist group by Israel and most of its Western allies, warned it won’t allow the protest to go on peacefully. In published remarks, the group called it a “dangerous attempt to impose Zionist control over the Al-Aqsa Mosque” and said “Our people will not allow it, no matter the cost.”
Hamas added that it would call “on the Arab and Islamic nations, and the brothers in the Kingdom of Jordan, and based on the Hashemite custodianship of the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, to take immediate and urgent action. And to assume their historical responsibilities towards what is happening in the blessed Al-Agsa.”
Participants were to assemble at Tsahal (Israel Defense Forces) Square (formerly Allenby Square), seen as one of the most historically sensitive and prominent intersections in Jerusalem, Worthy News monitored.
The site, which sits atop a steep hill from the Old City, had been fortified with a tower constructed as early as the Fatimid period (969-1071), The Jerusalem Foundation said.
“A crucial battle was fought here in the War of Independence (1948), and after that war’s cease-fire, the border between the Israeli and Jordanian halves of the city ran through the square. Following the reunification of the city in 1967, the square was developed, including the creation of a garden with plantings, paving, and benches in 1971,” followed by several other projects, the foundation recalled.
MARCHING INTO EAST JERUSALEM
From the square, protesters planned up march into East Jerusalem via the historic Damascus Gate and proceed to the Western Wall in the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa complex, several sources confirmed.
It remained unclear how many participants the demonstration may draw, but there were indications that Palestinian groups were planning to disrupt the event.
Israeli journalist Bar Shem-Ur, quoted by The Jerusalem Post newspaper, noted Tuesday that an Iran-backed operation pretending to be “an Israeli right-wing social media” outlet promotes the march as well.
Using the name “Haegrof” (“The Fist”), the operation’s account at the social media platform Instagram was based in Iran, according to the journalist’s investigation.
If confirmed, the operation suggested Iran was trying to attract its supporters to the march. Iran has refused to recognize Israel, and its Islamic leadership often called for the Jewish nation’s destruction.
Yet critics view the march as an unnecessary provocation and further straining Israeli security forces at a time when Israel is already fighting Hamas in Gaza. Yair Yitzhaki, former commander of the Jerusalem District of Israel Police, wondered on Israel’s Army Radio: “Why does it [the march] need to go through Damascus Gate, why not the Jaffa Gate? They’re trying to cause anger, to heat things in any way possible. I cannot understand how a country that wants life and peace behaves like this; it makes moves that are like an autoimmune disease that harms itself.”
Right-wing activist Baruch Marzel rejected the criticism, telling Army Radio that “Gaza is a result, the main incitement takes place at the Temple Mount, the most sacred place for Jews which is not sacred at all for Muslims.”
‘POINTING TO PROBLEM’S ROOT’
He added “The march is meant to point to the root of the problem, which is that in the heart of the capital of Israel, they are telling Arabs to continue to support Hamas, to praise [AI-Qassam commander Mohammed] Deif and [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar. We want that Jewish sovereignty there to be much stronger.”
Marzel rejected claims that the march would cause tensions to flare. He said “it was absolutely quiet” in the area “before Simchat Torah”, the Jewish holiday marking the conclusion of public readings of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
“There there were no marches, nothing, and the Arabs entered and massacred the residents of Be’eri, who loved them; therefore the time has come to a stop giving Arabs an ‘excuse.’”
He referred to the massacre at Be’eri, an Israeli kibbutz near the Gaza Strip, where Hamas killed at least 130 people on October 7. It was among the first atrocities on what became known as “Black Sabbath” when about 1,200 people were killed in Israel.
“They don’t need an excuse to massacre us. They want to massacre us every day,” Marzel added.
He claimed that the march would improve the security of Jerusalem, not harm it. Yet, with more violence expected, not everyone seemed to agree with that assessment.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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