The Israeli occupation police blocked on Wednesday hundreds of far-right Jewish settlers participating in a flag march from walking towards Jerusalem’s Bab al-Amud area (Damascus Gate) the main entrance to the Old City’s Muslim quarter amid rising tensions between Palestinians and Israelis.
According to different news reports the Israeli police announced that they prevented the participants in the flag march which was banned by the Israeli government due to security concerns from going to Bab al-Amud and ordered them to go home.
The participating settlers scuffled with police officers as they were trying to reach Bab al-Amud but they were rerouted to another Old City gate after the police stopped them.
Meanwhile hundreds of Palestinian youths from Jerusalem and 1948 occupied Palestine gathered in Bab al-Amud area to protect it against any attempt by settlers to storm it while police forces tried to disperse them and force them to leave the area.
Police forces reportedly kidnaped one Palestinian young man from Bab al-Amud.
In a related context Israeli premier Naftali Bennett said on Wednesday that he ordered the police to ban far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering Bab al-Amud following recommendations from security officials.
“I will not allow Ben-Gvir’s political provocations to endanger the lives of Israeli soldiers and police” Bennett claimed in a statement.
The Hamas Movement had warned on Tuesday against the flag march approaching the Aqsa Mosque and its vicinity and said the Israeli leadership would bear full responsibility for the consequences of “such dangerous and provocative measures.”
