Thousands of Israeli nationalists conducted their annual march Thursday through Jerusalem’s historic Muslim quarter, commemorating the capture of East Jerusalem in a conflict that occurred nearly six decades ago.
The demonstration, which serves as the primary observance of Jerusalem Day, has evolved into a display of strength for Jewish nationalists while Palestinians consider it a deliberate provocation designed to weaken their connection to the city.
“Jerusalem is our holy city. It is our holy city forever,” stated Shira Gefen, a 53-year-old Israeli who made the journey to Jerusalem from her residence near Haifa to participate in the event.
Israeli officials positioned thousands of law enforcement personnel throughout Jerusalem, including officers equipped with riot control gear stationed at Damascus Gate, the primary entrance to the Old City’s traditional Muslim district.
Authorities erected barriers in the Damascus Gate vicinity, blocking entry for Palestinians who don’t reside within the Old City. Business owners in the Palestinian community reported being compelled to shut down their shops before the demonstration began.
Israel took control of East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East conflict and subsequently incorporated it into their territory, an action that the United Nations and the majority of nations worldwide have refused to acknowledge.
The demonstration regularly heightens tensions as extreme nationalist Jewish organizations move through Palestinian neighborhoods within the Old City. Previously, groups of protesters, many of them young people, have shouted phrases including “Death to Arabs.”
The procession begins in West Jerusalem and concludes at the Western Wall, remains of an ancient support structure that Jews hold sacred as the Temple Mount, a remnant from their religion’s two historical temples. Muslims know this location as Al Haram Al Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, representing Islam’s third most sacred site.
Palestinians regard the Jerusalem Day march as one element of a wider effort to strengthen Jewish presence throughout the city at their expense.
They have consistently desired East Jerusalem to serve as the capital of a prospective Palestinian state.
