Israel's new government will be faced with one of its first challenges on Monday ahead of Tuesday's "Day of rage," announced by the Palestinian factions.
The "Day of Rage" was declared for the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the mixed Jewish and Arab cities inside Israel.
Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction warned of an escalation of violence if the right-wing flag march that received police permission would pass through the Muslim quarter of Old City of Jerusalem, the Lebanese Al Akhbar daily news paper reported Monday.
The last was brought to an abrupt end on Jerusalem Day last month after Hamas rockets from Gaza targeted Jerusalem marking the beginning of 11 days of fighting that included the firing of more than 4,000 rockets at Israeli communities and Israeli strikes on the Strip.
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Iron Dome missile defense system intercepts rocket from Gaza during May fighting
(Photo: AFP)
The Gaza ruling Hamas relayed a message to Israel through UN and Egyptian mediation demanding the march be canceled or at least re-routed. The terror group warned of a military response if their demands were not met.
Hamas also called on Palestinians to converge on the gates of the al-Aqsa mosque compound while the march was to be in progress to prevent the Jewish right-wing participants from entering the area.
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Palestinian protesters clash with police at the al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem last month
(Photo: AFP)
Religious Zionist member of Knesset Itamar Ben-Gvir has already announced he would join the march and include in its rout the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah where local Palestinian residents had been clashing with police over the possible eviction of Palestinian families from their homes after a right-wing Jewish group claimed ownership of them. The matter will be decided by the Supreme Court at the end of the month.
The final decision on whether the march would be allowed to proceed will be taken by the new Minister for Public Security, Omer Bar-Lev who will take over the ministry from Amir Ohana on Monday.
Bar-Lev will be briefed by Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai as to the police plan to secure the march.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will also have to decide the fate of an illegal West Bank outpost, Eviatar, that was scheduled for removal this week. The Defense Ministry already laid the groundwork for the outpost's evacuation, but it was postponed.