Rescheduled Flag March Canceled After Police Nix Route

A rescheduled flag march through the Old City of Jerusalem was canceled Monday after Israel Police said it would not approve the route through the Damascus Gate. The march, which had been scheduled for June 10, is a do over of the Jerusalem Day flag parade which was first rerouted due to tension in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and because of the end of Ramadan, and then interrupted and ultimately canceled by rockets fired from Gaza.

The police said it would reconsider approval if the date and the route are changed, and approved by the political echelon.

The march is seen in part as a way to break apart the new “change” government coalition, made up of right-, center- and left-wing parties including the Islamist Ra’am-United Arab List.
Hamas warned of “consequences” should the march take place and “threaten” Al-Aqsa. The Biden administration reportedly sent messages to Jerusalem calling for the march to be rerouted or canceled.

Religious Zionism lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir said Monday he would use his parliamentary immunity to walk the parade route through the Muslim Quarter waving Israeli flags despite the police refusal.