Thousands of Israeli ultranationalists marched through occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday during the annual Jerusalem Day celebrations, with participants chanting anti-Arab slogans and confronting Palestinians in the Old City, The Guardian reported.
The annual “Flag March” marks Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War, a moment Israelis celebrate as the “reunification” of Jerusalem, but which Palestinians and much of the international community regard as the beginning of Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem. The march passed through the Muslim Quarter under heavy police deployment, with many Palestinian residents shutting businesses and remaining indoors amid fears of violence.
According to The Guardian and AP, groups of marchers shouted slogans including “Death to Arabs”, “May your villages burn”, and “Gaza is a graveyard” as crowds carrying Israeli flags moved through Damascus Gate and surrounding streets.
ABC News reported that nationalist youths harassed Palestinian residents inside the Old City even before the main procession arrived.
Far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich were among senior political figures participating in the event. Ben-Gvir also visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound while carrying an Israeli flag, a move widely viewed as provocative because of the longstanding status quo governing the sensitive holy site, which both Muslims and Jews revere.
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The event has increasingly become a show of strength for Israel’s religious nationalist movement. The National reported that ultranationalist groups, including young settlers and supporters from across Israel and the occupied West Bank, gathered near Damascus Gate ahead of the parade, with some chanting slogans asserting exclusive Israeli control over Jerusalem.
Peace activists from Jewish-Arab organisations, including Standing Together and Tag Meir, formed volunteer groups in parts of the Old City in an effort to shield Palestinian residents and discourage attacks during the procession. The Guardian reported that hundreds of volunteers participated in de-escalation efforts amid fears of violence.
Jerusalem remains one of the central flashpoints in the conflict. Israel considers the city its undivided capital, while Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem after the 1967 war is not internationally recognised.
