Israeli security forces deployed heavily throughout Jerusalem on Tuesday ahead of the controversial flag march set to take place in the city in the afternoon hours.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The march was initially planned for last week but was postponed to this Tuesday, June 15, when the Israel Police refused to authorize its planned route through the Old City's Damascus Gate entrance and Muslim Quarter, known flashpoints in the Israeli capital.
Hamas, the terrorist group controlling the Gaza Strip, had threatened to react violently should the annual parade, organized by right-wing groups, take place.
In preparation for a possible outbreak of hostilities, Defense Minister Benny Gantz approved a series of targets in Gaza for the IDF to attack if Hamas fires missiles at Israel, and additional Iron Dome batteries have been deployed at various locations.
"The situation in the Palestinian arena is combustible and we are preparing for the possibility of renewed hostilities," IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said Monday amid the heightened security tensions.
Israel Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai canceled all personal leaves and deployed hundreds of officers and Border Policemen to mixed Jewish-Arab cities. He also issued a directive to employ a heavy hand against any rioters.
Muhammad Hamada, the spokesman for Hamas' Jerusalem branch that operates out of the Gaza Strip, said on Tuesday that Egyptian mediators have asked the armed Palestinian factions in the coastal enclave "not to escalate the situation over the flag march, but we promise that all possibilities are open to us."
Tuesday's march poses an immediate challenge for new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who took office on Sunday.
Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev stressed Monday afternoon that the march would take place in accordance with the outline approved by the police.
"The flag march will take place, this is the plan," Bar-Lev said.
As for Hamas' threats to fire rockets on Israel, if the march is allowed to take place, Bar-Lev said that "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel. In a democracy, it is permissible and important to demonstrate as long as it is according to the law and in our case according to the rules set by the police and that is how we will act."
"I am under the impression that the police are well prepared and that a great effort has been made to maintain the delicate fabric of life, and public safety," Bar-Lev said.
His statement gave no details on the parade route. But Hebrew media reports said the crowd would walk past the Damascus Gate but not enter the Muslim Quarter.
Hamas on Sunday urged Palestinians across Gaza and the West Bank to stage a "day of rage" on Tuesday, should the flag march take place.
A statement by the terrorist group called on the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem to flock to the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount and riot.
Hamas warned that "the occupier has re-released his stray hordes to defile the alleys and roads of Old Jerusalem, and to hoist the flags of the fleeting [Zionist] entity, in a move that only reflects its failure and regression."
Another Hamas spokesman, Abd al-Latif Qanou, said: "The flags march is like an explosive that will cause a new campaign to protect Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa mosque to ignite."
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Twitter: "We warn of the dangerous repercussions that may result from the occupying power's intention to allow extremist Israeli settlers to carry out the flag march in occupied Jerusalem on [Tuesday]."
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second-most powerful terrorist group in Gaza, also issued a threat on Tuesday.
"We will respond with force to any Israeli provocation in Jerusalem, and we will stand as an impenetrable damn against anyone who tries harming Al-Aqsa mosque because this land is our land, and the mosque is our mosque. Israel has no foothold in it. Even if blood is spilled, it is cheap compared to the importance of Al-Aqsa," the Iran-backed terrorist group said in a statement.
Earlier Monday, Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, reported that Gaza-based terrorist groups were bracing for a renewal of hostilities with Israel and have warned Israel via Egyptian mediators against holding the flag parade.
According to a source within one of the terrorist groups, there is a consensus among the armed factions in Gaza that the flag march should be prevented and that the option of renewing military hostilities was seriously on the table. According to the Al-Akhbar report, the message delivered to Israel via the Egyptian mediators was to cancel the march, particularly in the area of Damascus Gate and the Temple Mount, at the risk of sparking a regional war.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories
"Tensions [are] rising again in Jerusalem at a very fragile & sensitive security & political time, when UN & Egypt are actively engaged in solidifying the ceasefire," UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland said on Twitter.
"Urge all relevant parties to act responsibly & avoid any provocations that could lead to another round of confrontation," he said.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem prohibited its employees and their families from entering the Old City on Tuesday.
Dean Shmuel-Elmas and Daniel Siryoti contributed to this report.
