‘Flag day’ march is ‘provocation’ that doesn’t give legitimacy to anyone: Palestinian Authority

By Mohammed Ghifari and Gulsen Topcu

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The “flag day” march in occupied East Jerusalem is an Israeli “provocation” that does not give legitimacy to anyone and only Palestinians are the rightful owners of Jerusalem, the Palestinian Authority said Thursday.

In a statement, PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned the march by extremist Jewish settlers.

“These actions do not give legitimacy to anyone. Jerusalem, with its Islamic and Christian sanctities, is the eternal capital of the State of Palestine, and only the Palestinian people have the legitimacy and the historical right to it,” he said.

“It is the Palestinian people who grant legitimacy in Jerusalem, not Israel or the United States,” he added.

Rudeineh held the Israeli government fully responsible for the escalation and its repercussions, “which will lead to an explosive situation.”

All international resolutions, particularly UN Resolution 2334, declared unequivocally that East Jerusalem is an integral part of the land of the State of Palestine occupied since 1967.

Noting that the US administration's silence encouraged Israel to continue its violations, he appreciated the devotion and resistance of the Palestinian people despite all practices of Israel.

Thousands of far-right Israelis gathered Thursday in occupied East Jerusalem for the annual "flag day" march, which took place this year amid heightened tensions.

The march is staged by Israeli settlers every year to mark what they call the unification of Jerusalem, in reference to Israel's occupation of the city in 1967.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa Mosque represents Islam’s third-holiest site. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.