In the wake of a call to global protests against Israel by former Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, New York City has mandated all police officers to report for duty in uniform from Friday onwards, as reported by the New York Post.
Meshaal, who led Hamas from 2004 to 2017, recently issued a recorded statement urging people across the globe to rally in support of Palestinians on Friday. "Tribes of Jordan, sons of Jordan, brothers and sisters of Jordan ... this is a moment of truth and the borders are close to you, you all know your responsibility," Meshaal declared. He further appealed to scholars of jihad, stating, "To all who teach and learn, this is a moment for the application."
The former Hamas leader also announced the upcoming Friday as 'The Friday of the Al-Aqsa Flood,' a day of general mobilization in the Arab and Islamic world and among the free people of the world, as per the Middle East Media Research Institute.
In anticipation of potential unrest, New York City has ordered all New York Police Department (NYPD) officers to report in uniform from Friday "until further notice," as per a Wednesday memo obtained by the Post. The memo stated, "All uniformed members of the service in every rank, will perform duty in the uniform of the day and be prepared for deployment." It also mentioned that officers would not be allowed excusals or shift changes.
In addition, the NYPD plans to bolster security at all 77 precincts by assigning officers to oversee entryways and parking lots. The department has also activated its Joint Operations Center, requiring local agencies to inform the JOC of any incidents related to this event from Thursday through Saturday.
An NYPD spokesperson clarified to the Messenger that the order was not a response to a specific threat but a precautionary measure against potential public unrest.
Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD's deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, told WNYW Thursday, "These deployments are about two things: They're about deterrence and they're about reassurance." She added, "This is not done because we anticipate violence or because we are anticipating an imminent threat. This is really about making sure people feel safe, feel supported and can go about their daily lives."
Over the past week, Hamas' terrorist attacks on Israel have resulted in the deaths of over 1,300 people, including at least 25 Americans.
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