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Palestinians blast Hamas for lack of violent response to Jerusalem flag march

The Jerusalem Day flag march passed with no significant incident, despite Hamas threats and concerns that the Palestinians would react with violence.

By JNS and WIN staff

An estimated 50,000 Israelis took to the streets this past Sunday to participate in the Jerusalem Day flag march, an event celebrating the reunification of Israel’s capital city in 1967.

Some 3,000 police officers were deployed at the march in order to maintain public order and prevent violence.

Despite threats from terror groups including Hezbollah and Hamas, throngs of Israelis waved and danced with flags throughout the Old City, ending the march at the Western Wall.

According to a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), many Palestinian elements in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem voiced anger on Sunday evening and Monday.

They criticized Hamas and the other Palestinian resistance factions for failing to respond as they had threatened.

The criticism was voiced on social media, as well as in the Palestinian and Arab press.

Gaza journalist Ayman Al-Aloul criticized Hamas in a series of tweets and Facebook posts on the day of the march. “If today [March 29] passes without a response, I don’t want to hear even one voice selling [us any more] slogans … ”

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The Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hezbollah, stated criticism of Hamas and even Iran, Syria and the Hezbollah terror organization itself for “failing to lift a finger” in defense of Jerusalem.

Separately from the flag parade, a record number of Jews ascended to the Temple Mount on Sunday.

Some 2,626 Jews are believed to have visited the compound, where some sang the Israeli national anthem, prayed, and waved Israeli flags — in defiance of the status quo, which prohibits most expressions of Jewish or Israeli identity at the site.