Far-right Israeli MP sets fire to Jerusalem
Audio 01:22
Ultranationalist Jewish MP Itamar Ben Gvir on June 10, 2021 near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem.
REUTERS - AMMAR AWAD
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
The situation is still very unstable in the Middle East.
After clashes between Israel and Hamas last month, the ceasefire remains fragile.
And yet, some continue to stir up tensions.
This week, Israeli police banned a parade of far-right Jews who wanted to parade through Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem.
So one of their deputies, with his parliamentary immunity, went to provoke the Palestinians at the entrance to the old city of Jerusalem.
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With our permanent special correspondent in Jerusalem,
Sami Boukhelifa
Under the hoots of the Palestinians, the ultranationalist Jewish congressman Itamar Ben Gvir, under good escort, waved an Israeli flag.
But the police prohibited him from entering the Damascus Gate, the Arab sector of the old city of Jerusalem.
Regardless, the parliamentarian came to unroll his argument in front of the press: “
It is our capital.
If the United States were forbidden to walk in Washington with an American flag, would anyone be willing to accept that?
Why ?
Because it would annoy some?
We must stop those who get angry, and allow us to march through Jerusalem with a flag.
"
Exchanges of invectives between the elected official and certain Palestinians, they experience this show of force as a real provocation.
"
This guy is Netanyahu's stooge,"
said Majdi, a resident of the neighborhood.
He sent him here to ignite the situation.
Netanyahu must step down, so he is pursuing the scorched earth policy.
He comes here, with his flag, to provoke us.
But whether he likes it or not, East Jerusalem is Arab, and it will remain so.
That he and his fellows go back to their countries of origin.
We are the children of this country, it is ours.
Point!
"
In response, local youth waved the Palestinian flag.
They were quickly put down by the Israeli police.
There have been more than a dozen arrests.
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