JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Supreme Court rejected a petition to prevent an annual Jerusalem Day march from passing though the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City.
Jerusalem Day, marking the reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli control, falls this year on June 2, which also is among the final days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
During the event, tens of thousands of religious Zionist teens march through the Old City, including the Muslim Quarter, in an event that has frequently caused tension between Jews and Arabs.
The court on Sunday rejected a petition filed by the left-wing Ir Amin organization. The judges noted that police have said it would handle incitement and any subsequent violence by participants in the march and would protect the Arab residents and shopkeepers in the Muslim Quarter.
The court last week rejected a petition calling for a decision to bar Jews and tourists from the Temple Mount on Jerusalem Day to be reversed.
It reportedly will be the first time that the holiest site to Jews will be closed on Jerusalem Day in 30 years.
The site is closed every year on the last days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
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