A protest against US President Joe Biden’s planned visit to east Jerusalem on Friday was banned by Israel Police.

Biden will not only be the first US president in history to visit east Jerusalem, a violation of the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital, but he has also denied Israel’s request to be accompanied by Israeli officials.

A number of right-wing organizations submitted a permit request to carry out a peaceful protest along Biden’s route to east Jerusalem but it was denied.

Israel Police justified the denial by saying all roads along the route to the planned demonstration site would be closed during Biden’s visit.

The organizations, including the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and the Regavim movement, are planning on submitting a legal appeal against the police if a solution is not found to allow them to protest.

“By allowing a first-of-its-kind visit by a sitting US president to East Jerusalem, this government is re-dividing our capital – in violation of US law and Israeli law,” said Meir Deutsch, the director of the Regavim movement. “This is an outrageous capitulation.”

Likud MK Shlomo Karhi told Channel 14 News on Wednesday: “I’m fearful of Biden’s visit. There is no powerful leadership in Israel that can tell him ‘You can’t go to our enemies without coordinating with us.’ The fact that the president of the US, our best friend, is going to visit East Jerusalem is a sign of this government’s weakness.”

חה"כ @shlomo_karhi באולפן ישראל הבוקר: "אני חושש מביקור ביידן היום. אין בישראל הנהגה עוצמתית שתוכל להגיד לו 'אתה לא תוכל ללכת לאויבים שלנו מבלי לתאם איתנו'. העובדה שנשיא ארה"ב, ידידתנו הטובה ביותר, הולך לבקר במזרח ירושלים היא סימן לרפיסות של הממשלה הזו"@Idotauber #ישראל_הבוקר pic.twitter.com/uA2G2bruAU

— עכשיו 14 (@Now14Israel) July 13, 2022

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)