The Israeli government has given the green light for a controversial protest in Jerusalem under certain conditions and only after the Knesset votes over the weekend on a new coalition government. The right-wing nationalist event had been scheduled and then canceled amid tensions between Jews and Arabs in the holy city.
In a press release, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet said the march — which at one point had been rescheduled for Thursday — will take place Tuesday “in a format to be agreed upon by the police and the organizers of the march.”
The flag march in Jerusalem was originally scheduled for May 10 but was cut short due to Hamas firing rockets at Jerusalem — the start of an 11-day war. The move to June 15 means the parade will take place after the Knesset votes to approve Israel’s new Cabinet on Sunday, two days before the new date for the march. This assuaged concerns that Netanyahu would use the march — if it were held this week — to derail the new government’s formation, according to The Times of Israel.
The flag march celebrates Jerusalem’s unification under Israeli authority during the 1967 Six-Day War. It is popular among right-wing and Jewish nationalist Israelis.
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