US urges 'calm, restraint' ahead of contentious Jerusalem Flag March in Old City

State Department spokesperson says Washington supports right of peaceful expression, calls to ‘refrain from actions, rhetoric and activities that would inflame tensions’

By TOI STAFF
Today, 4:59 am

The US is urging “calm” and “restraint” ahead of a highly controversial nationalist parade through the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday, where tens of thousands of Jewish Israelis are expected to march through the Muslim Quarter waving Israeli flags. The event will come less than a week after Israel and terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad finalized a ceasefire agreement following five days of deadly conflict.

The annual rally of religious nationalists is regularly a tense affair, with thousands of largely Orthodox participants marching from Independence Park to the Western Wall to mark Israel’s reunification of East and West Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War. The Jerusalem Day march has gained notoriety over the years, as it is often marred by hate speech and sometimes violence by Jewish participants toward Palestinians.

On Tuesday, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said Washington would “continue to urge the parties to refrain from actions and rhetoric and activities that would inflame tensions,” in response to a question about the controversial march during a press briefing.

Continued @ :
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-urges-calm-restraint-ahead-of-contentious-jerusalem-flag-march-in-old-city/