Wednesday’s Jerusalem Day marchers will go through Muslim Quarter; 3,000 cops to deploy

Police say over 3,000 officers will be deployed in and around the Old City of Jerusalem on Wednesday afternoon for Jerusalem Day’s contentious Flag March.

The annual parade to the Western Wall celebrates Israel’s reunification of East and West Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War, but often sees flare-ups of Jewish-Arab violence and hate speech by far-right Jewish attendees toward Palestinians.

The planned route for the march will be the same as last year’s: Participants will march from central Jerusalem to the Western Wall through the gates and alleys of the Old City. There will be two routes participants will take to the Western Wall, one that passes through Dung Gate, and a second that passes through Damascus Gate and the Muslim Quarter.

“The police urge Flag March participants and the public to follow police instructions, avoid any physical or verbal violence, and allow the event to proceed safely while strictly adhering to order and law. Any disruptions or acts of violence will be dealt with firmly by the police,” the force says in a statement.

Police add that the march will not pass through the Temple Mount or the Temple Mount gates.

Many of Jerusalem’s main roads will be blocked off to vehicular traffic on Wednesday afternoon, and will gradually reopen as the parade progresses. The light rail will not operate during the parade and bus routes will be redirected so as to not interfere with the march.