Israeli settlers storm occupied al-Quds in provocative ‘Flag March’

Israeli settlers, led by Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, stormed the Damascus Gate area in occupied al-Quds on Monday to launch the provocative “Flag March”, under heavy security restrictions imposed on Palestinian residents of the city, who confronted the settlers’ incursions,

The so-called “Flag March” is an annual event marked by extremist Israeli settlers to commemorate what is referred to as “Jerusalem Day”, marking the anniversary of the city’s Israeli occupation. The march is widely viewed as a provocation and part of broader efforts to Judaize the city.

Smotrich urges occupying Gaza

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also took part in the march, renewed the call for Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip while addressing settlers in the “Flag March” rally.

“Are we afraid of victory?” the far-right minister asked the crowd, which responded altogether “no”.

“Are we afraid of the word ‘occupation?’” which the settlers again answered with a massive “no”.

“Are we settling the Land of Israel? Are we liberating Gaza?” he shouted, before adding, “We are triumphing over the enemy!”

Settlers chant provocative slogans

At Damascus Gate, settlers performed the Hora, an Israeli folk dance, and, after gathering at the al-Buraq Wall near Al-Aqsa Mosque, chanted provocative slogans, including, “Let’s build the Temple… It’s time to build the Temple. 

In parallel, large groups of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in successive waves, under the protection of Israeli police forces.

The Islamic Waqf (Endowment) in occupied al-Quds reported that the number of settlers who had stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque since the morning had reached 2,092.

The movement held the Israeli government fully responsible for the consequences of these violations and condemned the silence of Arab governments regarding these Israeli crimes.

Popular Resistance Committees

The Popular Resistance Committees in Palestine also condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa, calling it an affront to all Arabs and Muslims. The group characterized the incident as part of the “Talmudic war” waged by “Israel’s” far-right government, which seeks to destroy Al-Aqsa and establish the so-called Temple in its place.

The statement emphasized that “the continued raids on the mosque, the raising of Israeli flags, and dancing in its courtyards are all aimed at asserting full control over the entire mosque.”

Al-Mujahideen Movement

Similarly, the al-Mujahideen Movement decried the Arab and Islamic silence in the face of the ongoing Israeli siege and assaults on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the city of al-Quds.

The group condemned the settlers’ provocations during the so-called “Flag March” as a fresh affront to the sentiments of two billion Muslims worldwide.

France condemns Ben-Gvir’s storming of Al-Aqsa

On its part, the French Foreign Ministry condemned Ben-Gvir’s storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, describing it as “a new and unacceptable provocation” and “a violation of the historic status quo” of the holy sites in al-Quds.