This year's Jerusalem Day flag march poses a serious risk to non-Jewish residents of Jerusalem, Democrats MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv warned the Israel Police on Tuesday.
"To our regret, this parade - which ends with a mass rally in the Western Wall Square - has become an arena for acts of violence, hatred, looting, and racism in recent years," he wrote in a letter to Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levi. "The numerous acts, which leave destruction and fear on the streets of the Muslim Quarter and other areas of the Old City, are causing local residents to lock themselves in their homes and close their businesses."
Kariv cited recent racist and nationalistic attacks on Christians in recent weeks, along with the long history of the flag march resulting in violence and chaos in the Muslim Quarter, as evidence of the increased risk this year.
"The sovereignty of the State of Israel in its capital city and the special status of Jerusalem should come first and foremost in the ability to ensure a decent lifestyle free from fear of violence and hatred," he wrote.
MK demands police crack down on flag march violence
In order to prevent violence this year, Kariv requested that the police ensure the march takes place outside of the Muslim Quarter, on roads where the risk to non-Jewish residents is lessened. He also requested that officers escorting the march act to quell any racist or violent acts, including the shouting of racist slogans towards Palestinians in the Old City, which Kariv said have occured in previous years.
"Our unequivocal expectation - anchored in the provisions of the law - is that the police will detain marchers who make racist chants and remove them from the Old City," Kariv stated. "It is appropriate that clear instructions in this spirit be conveyed to the relevant units and their commanders."
If the march's path continued along its usual path, Kariv threatened that he would show up in person and monitor the police's response to "those actions which stand in stark contrast to the holiness of Jerusalem and its position as the nation's capital."
Kariv also said that he planned to host a discussion with the Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs Committee on Wednesday, on the topic of the recent harassment of Christian clergy, in order to ensure the police are prepared to protect them.