Ottawa city officials say Israel’s flag will be raised in a private ceremony to mark Israel’s Independence Day on Tuesday.
The city says it’s agreed to allow the Jewish Federation of Ottawa to hold a ceremony. However, the precise time and location has not been released.
Last week, the city said it decided to cancel the annual flag-raising event on May 14 because of “concerns it would pose a risk to public safety”.
The decision prompted outcry from local and federal politicians along with Jewish community groups.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe voiced his displeasure on X, asking that the city, police and the Jewish Federation of Ottawa to co-ordinate an event that protects everyone’s safety.
The group Ottawa 4 Palestine shared on social media last week that it planned to “shut down the Zionist flag-raising event.”
The city has been the site of numerous protests against the Hamas-Israel war since the Oct. 7 attack against Israel where Hamas killed 1,200 people, the majority of which were civilians, and took 250 hostage.
The death toll from the war in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people, most of them women and children, according to local health officials. Israeli bombardments and ground assaults have caused vast destruction to apartments, hospitals, schools and refugee centers across several cities.