Violence broke out on Monday during Jerusalem Day, as far-right Israeli marchers attacked Palestinians and shouted racist slogans.
The annual Flag March, which drew thousands of nationalist Israelis, passed through the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. Witnesses said Palestinian shopkeepers were harassed, with marchers chanting “death to Arabs,” “may your village burn,” and “your home will be ours.” Some carried banners reading, “67 – Jerusalem in our hands; 2025 – Gaza in our hands.”
Israeli police were deployed as tensions rose around midday, removing several aggressive participants from the area. Opposition leaders condemned the violence. Yair Lapid called the parade “a disgrace and an insult to Judaism,” while Yair Golan said, “this is what hatred, racism, and bullying look like.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a member of the far-right Jewish Power party, addressed the crowds, calling for the death penalty for “terrorists.”
He also visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, a highly sensitive site revered by Muslims and Jews. Muslims know it as Al-Aqsa, Islam’s third holiest site; Jews refer to it as the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. Under current arrangements, Jews can visit but are not allowed to pray there.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a cabinet meeting earlier that day, vowed to keep Jerusalem “united, whole, and under Israeli sovereignty.”
Each year, the Flag March marks Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, which the government refers to as the “unification” of the city. Since then, over 53,900 people have been killed in Gaza, including at least 16,500 children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.