Tensions flared during Jerusalem Day commemorations on Monday, as far-right Israeli marchers engaged in violent clashes and directed abuse at Palestinians in the city’s Old City.
The annual “Flag March” sees thousands of nationalist Israelis parade through Jerusalem, including the annexed Old City, culminating at the Western Wall. The event marks Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
However, this year’s march was marred by aggressive behaviour. Eyewitnesses reported crowds of far-right participants chanting hateful slogans like “death to Arabs,” “May your village burn,” and “Your home will be ours.”
Violence erupted particularly as groups of ultranationalist Jews entered Palestinian neighbourhoods within the Old City’s ancient walls. Young men, some waving Israeli flags, were seen confronting and harassing Palestinian shopkeepers, passers-by, schoolchildren, and even Israeli rights activists and police.
Banners displayed by some right-wing activists explicitly linked past territorial gains to future ambitions, with one notable sign reading, “67 – Jerusalem in our hands; 2025 – Gaza in our hands.”
Heavy deployments of Israeli police and border police were present in the Old City. They were observed detaining and removing some of the more aggressive marchers and activists in an effort to contain the violence.
Political Figures & Controversial Actions
The event drew participation and comment from Israeli politicians, further fueling controversy.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir of the Jewish Power party addressed crowds, calling for the death penalty for “terrorists.” Ben Gvir also made a visit to the highly sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount. This site, holy to both Muslims and Jews, is administered by a Jordanian Islamic trust, with Jews permitted to visit but not pray.
Reports indicated that over 2,000 Israelis, including Ben Gvir and other politicians, stormed the Al-Aqsa compound earlier in the day. Ben Gvir posted a video from the site, stating he “prayed for victory in the war, for the return of all our hostages, and for the success of the newly-appointed head of the Shin Bet.”
Adding to provocations, a small group of protesters, reportedly including an Israeli member of parliament, attempted to storm a facility belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem.
Strong Condemnation and Political Division
The conduct during the march drew sharp criticism from Israeli opposition leaders.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid condemned the event, stating it had become a “festival of ‘hatred and racism’,” calling it “a disgrace and an insult to Judaism.” Lapid added, “There is nothing Jewish about this violence. The government ministers who remain silent in the face of these events are complicit in this disgrace.”
Left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan described images from the Old City as “shocking,” identifying them as the manifestation of “hatred, racism and bullying.” Golan called for Jerusalem to be a city for all its communities – Jews, Christians, and Muslims, secular and religious.
Conversely, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed his cabinet on Monday, reiterating the government’s commitment to keeping Jerusalem “united, whole, and under Israeli sovereignty.”
The Palestinian presidency in the West Bank condemned both the march and Ben Gvir’s visit to Al-Aqsa. Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh warned that ongoing Israeli actions, including the war in Gaza, “repeated incursions into the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and provocative acts such as raising the Israeli flag in occupied Jerusalem,” threaten regional stability.
Context of Occupied Territory and Ongoing Conflict
Jerusalem’s status remains a central point of contention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel considers the entire city its eternal, undivided capital, while Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Much of the international community views East Jerusalem as Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.
This year’s Flag March occurred amidst the backdrop of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, initiated in response to Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths in Israel and hostages taken. According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s subsequent actions have killed over 53,939 people in the territory, including more than 16,500 children. The march also coincided with escalating Israeli military operations against Palestinian militants in the West Bank.
References
- https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czelwkwn3y2o
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/26/far-right-israelis-storm-al-aqsa-unrwa-compound-amid-jerusalem-day-march
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czelwkwn3y2o
- https://www.bbc.com/news
- https://www.aol.com/far-marchers-attack-palestinians-israel-191837738.html
