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Source: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/2nrba98pe
U.S. Asked Israel to Modify Its Jerusalem Day Celebrations
(Ynet News) Itamar Eichner - Israeli officials rejected a request by U.S. Ambassador Thomas Nides to amend the route of Sunday's Jerusalem Day parade celebrating the reunification of Jerusalem. Israeli Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev told Nides, "We are doing all we can to prevent friction and provocations. This parade is a 30-year-long tradition. Jerusalem is Israel's capital." Bar-Lev reminded Nides that his father, former IDF Chief of Staff Haim Bar-Lev, participated in Israel's conquest of the Old City. Officials in Jerusalem rejected claims by Palestinians that the parade will pass though Muslim holy sites and the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, saying that those claims were meant to incite violence. Israel's security agencies and the IDF recommended the route remain unchanged from past years in order not to cause the appearance of weakness after Hamas threatened violence in response to it. Officials said that if Hamas initiates violence like it did last year, Israel's response should be significant. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also said the route must remain unchanged.