Temple Mount groups plan 'March of the Maccabees' through Jerusalem's Old City

Temple Mount activists plan to conduct a march through the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday, with organizers saying the march aims to call for the removal of the Waqf from the Temple Mount.

כולם מגיעים! pic.twitter.com/EYz7XkZjvG

— חוזרים להר (@CozrimLahar) December 5, 2023

According to a poster advertising the march, the march will also include a memorial for those murdered in terrorist attacks and a call to have full Jewish control over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

The march has been approved by Israel Police.

השולט בהר הבית ישלוט בארץ כולה✊ pic.twitter.com/9eBMRiRHkO

— בני הר מוריה (@TheTempleMoun) December 4, 2023

The march will begin at Tzahal Square and continue through the Damascus Gate toward the Western Wall.

The organizers of the event include the Hozrim Lahar, Torat Lehima, and Beyadenu movements, among other organizations.

The Hamas terrorist organization expressed outrage at the march, calling it a "dangerous attempt to impose Zionist control over Al-Aqsa Mosque" and saying "our people will not allow it, no matter the cost."

"We call on the Arab and Islamic nations, and the brothers in the Kingdom of Jordan, and based on the Hashemite custodianship of the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, to take immediate and urgent action, and to assume their historical responsibilities towards what is happening in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque," said Hamas on Tuesday.

Iranian influence operation promoting Hanukkah march

Israeli journalist Bar Shem-Ur reported on Tuesday that an Iranian influence operation pretending to be an Israeli right-wing social media account called "Haegrof" ("The Fist") had promoted the march as well. The operation's Instagram account has its location listed as Iran.

In response to criticism of the march, right-wing activist Baruch Marzel stressed to Army Radio that "Gaza is a result, the main incitement takes place at the Temple Mount, the most sacred place for Jews which is not sacred at all for Muslims."

"The march is meant to point to the root of the problem which is that in the heart of the capital of Israel, they are telling Arabs to continue to support Hamas, to praise [Al-Qassam commander Mohammed] Deif and [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar. We want that Jewish sovereignty there to be much stronger."

Marzel rejected claims that the march would cause tensions to flare, saying "before Simchat Torah, it was absolutely quiet, there were no marches, nothing, and the Arabs entered and massacred the residents of Beeri, who loved them, therefore the time has come to stop giving Arabs an 'excuse'. They don't need an excuse to massacre us. They want to massacre us every day."

Marzel insisted that the march would improve the security of Jerusalem, not harm it.

Yair Yitzhaki, former commander of the Jerusalem District of Israel Police, told Army Radio that he believes that the march aims to incite violence, saying "why does it need to go through Damascus Gate, why not the Jaffa Gate? They're trying to cause anger, to heat things in any way possible. I cannot understand how a country that wants life and peace behaves like this, it makes moves that are like an autoimmune disease that harms itself."