Jerusalem, Israel. Thousands of Israeli nationalists marched on Thursday through the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s walled Old City under heavy security during the annual Jerusalem Day event. Palestinian residents said the parade was a provocation that undermines their ties to the city.
March through the Muslim quarter
As Israelis marched through the Muslim quarter, home to thousands of Palestinians, some demonstrators, mostly young men, chanted “May your villages burn” and “Death to Arabs” while waving Israeli flags. Palestinian residents, many of whom barricaded themselves inside their homes in the Old City, said they viewed the parade as a provocation.
Security deployment and restrictions
Israeli authorities deployed thousands of police officers, some in riot gear, in Jerusalem, including at Damascus Gate, the main gateway to the historic Muslim quarter. Police erected barricades around the Damascus Gate area, preventing Palestinians who do not live in the Old City from entering, and Palestinian shopkeepers in the Old City said they were forced to close ahead of the parade.
Background and route
Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, a move that the United Nations and most countries have not recognised. The parade’s path starts in West Jerusalem and ends at the Western Wall, a remnant of an ancient retaining structure revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, which Muslims refer to as Al Haram Al Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, a compound that is the third holiest site in Islam.
Participants’ remarks and minister visit
“Jerusalem is our holy city. It is our holy city forever,” said Shira Gefen, a 53-year-old Israeli who travelled to Jerusalem from her home near Haifa for the rally. “We are very happy and excited to be here. This is the heart of the world and the heart of all Jewish people,” said George, a 65-year-old Israeli who lives near Ashkelon and declined to give his last name. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, visited the compound on Thursday and raised an Israeli flag as security men stood behind him.
How do you think the heavy security measures affected residents and businesses in Jerusalem’s Old City?
