“The flag march will continue as planned, as usual, on its route,” Netanyahu said at the outset of his Likud party’s Knesset faction meeting.
The Israel Police approved the route last week, and said it plans to deploy more than 2,000 police officers to prepare the ground, protect marchers, and preserve order.
Jerusalem Day’s Flag March sparks tensions annually and is usually met with calls to change its route to avoid disrupting locals’ daily routine. The timing this year is especially delicate in light of the fresh ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group after five days of deadly conflict.
In 2021, the Jerusalem march served as a pretext for the Hamas terror group to launch an 11-day conflict, dubbed by Israel as Operation Guardian of the Walls. READ MORE