Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh warned Israel on Sunday against carrying out a planned right-wing march in Jerusalem next week could have.
In a speech marking the anniversary of last May’s Gaza war, Haniyeh noted that the clashes in mixed Jewish-Arab cities – which coincided with the war – are a turning point in the Palestinian struggle against Israel. The struggle, Haniyeh also said, “united the Palestinian people, diminishing the boundaries between those in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Israeli society as well.” The Hamas leader also called Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh calls on Palestinians to be “on high alert” and referenced the spate of terror attacks in Israel over the past month.
Palestinian factions in Gaza also issued a warning to Israel on Sunday ahead of the flag march. In a joint statement, the groups said they warned of “harming Al-Aqsa Mosque.” Last week, Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai’s decided to allow the march to pass through Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate and the Old City’s Muslim Quarter.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Bar-Lev’s decision, calling it “a continuation of a dangerous escalation by Israel that threatens to drag the region into an explosion that would be very difficult to control.”
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Last year, Hamas fired a a barrage of rockets at Jerusalem during the march, prompting Israel and Hamas to fight for 11 days. The war coincided with interethnic riots throughout Israel.
Israel and Hamas, an Islamic group sworn to Israel’s destruction, are bitter enemies that have fought three wars and numerous skirmishes since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.
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