Performers play musical instruments near Dung Gate, close to the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City November 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo

i24 News – Senior US officials have asked the Israelis to reexamine the route of Sunday’s Jerusalem Day flag march through the Old City, Ynet News reports.

The Americans are concerned that the current route, which passes through Damascus Gate and the Muslim Quarter, could raise tensions and cause a flare-up.

Gaza-based terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have issued warnings to Israel about the parade.

Opponents of the flag march see the route through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter as a provocation, with supporters seeing it as an expression of Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem.

Organizers of the event on Tuesday said that attendance would be limited at specific points of the march, including at Damascus Gate and the Western Wall.

Attendance at the Western Wall will be limited to 16,000 participants.

“Following limits on the numbers of people at the Western Wall, 8,000 marchers will proceed to the wall through Damascus Gate, and another 8,000 will march through Jaffa Gate,” the organizers said.

On Wednesday, the US Embassy in Jerusalem told employees and their families to stay away from the Old City on Sunday.