![Member of the Islamic Jihad Movement Khaled al-Batsh makes a speech during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan in Gaza City, Gaza on Februay 21, 2020 [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/20200221_2_40971253_52383674.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The next battle over Jerusalem will be a “regional war”, a senior member of the Islamic Jihad Movement’s political bureau warned yesterday.
“It is enough to hear five prominent leaders in the region expressing their readiness to defend Jerusalem,” Khaled Al-Batsh told reporters.
He described those forces as “capable of waging war and leading a regional battle for Jerusalem.”
Last month Israel bombed the Gaza Strip, killing over 250 Palestinians, after resistance factions declared support for Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem who are at risked of forced displacement to make way for illegal settlers.
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