According to a correspondent of the Al-Mayadeen pan-Arab channel, the settlers broke into the courtyards of the sacred compound for an hour and made provocative tours under the protection of the occupants’ police.
Israeli authorities forced away journalists and correspondents from the scene and prevented young people from entering the mosque to perform the dawn prayer.
According to local reports, the police deployed more than 3,000 troops in Jerusalem as a security measure for the march of the flag, which the settlers will carry out in the evening in defiance of Jerusalem’s sovereignty.
The Wafa agency reported that the police have set up barricades on the main roads, disrupting the normal life of the Palestinian population in the city. Shops in Jerusalem were ordered to remain closed during the day to allow free and easy access for settlers during the march and to avoid friction with the Palestinians.
The outlet stated that the parade will include the Damascus Gate and the Muslim Quarter in the Old City before reaching the Western Wall plaza. Extremist and right-wing ministers and parliamentarians from the government coalition, headed by the head of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, intend to participate in the march, the reports said.
In response to this act, the Palestinians called for raising the flag in all parts of Jerusalem and the occupied territories and holding rallies in the cities of the West Bank in the afternoon.
The Palestinian presidency described as provocative the Israeli government’s insistence on holding the march in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem. The spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, warned that the act will only lead to increased tension, and blamed Tel Aviv for leading to an explosion. He also stressed that the Palestinian people and their leadership are capable of protecting Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
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