Israeli officials have decided to go ahead on Thursday with the traditional ‘Flag March’ through the Old City of Jerusalem to mark Jerusalem Day, despite threats from Hamas in Gaza to fire rockets at Israel in protest of the move.

Jerusalem Day is the annual celebration of Israel’s reuniting of the city in the Six-Day War in June 1967. Many national-religious Jews join the march waving Israeli flag to signify their deep attachment to the ancient Old City of Jerusalem. But Hamas is threatening once again to disrupt the celebratory march by launching rockets at Israel, just days after a rocket war with the terror militia PIJ ended. The day has become an annual turf war over who really controls the Old City and Temple Mount, and two years ago it triggered an 11-day rocket war that also sparked ugly street clashes between Arabs and Jews in several of Israel’s mixed cities.

We ask that you please be praying for peace and calm to prevail in Jerusalem and all across Israel over the next few days as the nation marks this important holiday.

儘管加沙的哈馬斯威脅要向以色列發射火箭炮以抗議此舉，但以色列官員已決定在周四繼續通過耶路撒冷老城舉行傳統的「國旗遊行」，以紀念耶路撒冷日。

耶路撒冷日是一年一度的慶祝活動，以慶祝以色列在 1967 年 6 月的六日戰爭中重新統一這座城市。許多具有民族宗教信仰的猶太人揮舞著以色列國旗參加遊行，以表示他們對古老的耶路撒冷老城的深深依戀。

但是，在與恐怖民兵傑哈西的火箭炮戰爭結束幾天後，哈馬斯再次威脅要通過向以色列發射火箭來破壞慶祝遊行。這一天已經成為一年一度的爭奪誰真正控制了耶路撒冷舊城和聖殿山的地盤爭奪戰，兩年前它引發了一場為期 11 天的火箭戰爭，還在以色列的幾個混居城市引發了阿拉伯人和猶太人之間街頭衝突。

我們邀請您在接下來的幾天裡為耶路撒冷和整個以色列的平安與平靜祈禱，因為這個國家正在紀念這個重要的節日。