The Jerusalem Day march, marking the “reunification” of the city under Israeli sovereignty, has more to do with domination over Palestinians than celebration.
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He said that worldwide attempts to pressure Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians will only “harden the Palestinian’s stance” and will harm the prospects of peace.
If announced on Sunday evening, thousands of Muslims would celebrate in Jerusalem’s Old City before heading to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque, close to the Israeli congregation at the Western Wall.
Israeli soldiers killed, on Thursday afternoon, a Palestinian woman, at the Ennab military roadblock, east of Tulkarem city, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.
A Jerusalem Day march slated for Sunday will not be rerouted after the High Court rejected an urgent petition asking police to bar the parade from passing through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter.
Israel’s occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967 was never recognised by the global community.
“Last year they put glue to destroy my lock”, said shopkeeper Rimon Himo as he wrapped tape around his lock.
Some 30,000 demonstrators were expected at the march.
“We shall be there in very large numbers”, Israeli police spokesman Asi Aharoni said ahead of the march.
“We know that we aren’t going to get the Israelis and Palestinians to make peace immediately, but we want to create the right conditions to get the two around the negotiating table”, said a senior French diplomat.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said that more than 2,000 police officers were deployed across the route of the march in case of any frictions.
According to the court ruling, the last marcher will be allowed to enter the Old City via the Damascus Gate at 6:15 p.m. and all marchers will be out of the Muslim Quarter by 7 p.m. The start of Ramadan coincides with the new moon.
Abbas said that “our people today in memory [of the June setback] are more insistent and determined to achieve their goals, and gain their legitimate national rights, particularly the right to freedom and independence, and the establishment of their independent state, with its capital in East Jerusalem, the liberation of all prisoners, and to maintain our national symbols and holy places”.
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Radical right-wing Israeli activist Baruch Marzel hands out stickers advocating population transfer of Palestinians, East Jerusalem, June 5, 2015. And although Israel annexed the territory and included it in the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, its residents were not granted citizenship; they hold permanent residency, which can be revoked for any number of reasons, often at the discretion of the Israeli interior minister.
