[MIDDLE EAST] Thousands of Israelis participated in a state-funded march on Monday through the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, where large groups were heard chanting inflammatory slogans such as “Gaza is ours,” “death to the Arabs,” and “may their villages burn.”
The annual event, organized and financed by the Jerusalem municipality, commemorates Israel’s 1967 military takeover of East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War. While the Israeli government celebrates this as the “liberation” of the city, the international community does not recognize the annexation.
Coinciding with Israel’s national “Jerusalem Day,” the march is viewed by Palestinians as a day of mourning. For many, it represents the deepening erosion of their rights and community presence amid expanding settler activity and government-backed encroachment. The sharp divergence in perspectives—celebration on one side and displacement on the other—reflects the ongoing struggle over the city’s identity.
Marketed as a “festive procession” by the city government, the event, commonly known as the flag march, has long drawn criticism for racist rhetoric and violence. In the lead-up to this year’s procession, the Muslim Quarter was largely shut down as small groups of Israeli youths roamed the streets, harassing residents, spitting at women wearing hijabs, looting shops, vandalizing a bookstore, and even forcibly entering a private home.
Despite previous warnings and a well-documented history of unrest surrounding the march, Israeli authorities deployed limited security measures. Human rights groups, including B’Tselem, have condemned the state’s failure to curb attacks, citing a 2023 report showing fewer than 10% of Palestinian-filed complaints resulted in indictments.
“Shut now, or I can’t protect you,” a police officer reportedly told café owner Raymond Himo, after youths in religious Zionist attire began stealing beverages. Many businesses shuttered by early afternoon, hours ahead of the march, with residents remaining indoors.
By midday, groups of Jewish men moved through the Old City chanting slogans such as “may their villages burn,” “Mohammed is dead,” and “death to Arabs.” The normalization of such rhetoric, analysts say, signals the growing influence of far-right ideologies among Israeli youth, bolstered by public figures like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has advocated for Palestinian expulsions and framed the march as a demonstration of Jewish sovereignty.
Later in the day, a large group at Damascus Gate carried a banner declaring “Jerusalem 1967, Gaza 2025,” suggesting ambitions for a military annexation of Gaza to mirror that of East Jerusalem. Another banner read “Without a Nakba there is no victory,” referencing the 1948 mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s founding—an invocation rarely made so openly in Israeli public discourse.
Observers say this shift from nationalist symbolism to overt revanchism marks a troubling evolution. Historians note a deliberate conflation of the 1948 and 1967 wars by far-right elements to justify contemporary territorial expansion. Even centrist Israeli voices warn that such framing risks deepening international isolation.
The event was organized by Am K’Lavi, a nonprofit led by Baruch Kahane, son of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the now-banned Kach party, labeled a terrorist organization in Israel in the 1980s. Marchers could be seen wearing shirts emblazoned with the Kach symbol—a clenched fist inside a Star of David—or representing their schools, many of which had arranged group participation.
Despite the event’s violent history, police presence remained limited, with little protection for Palestinian residents. Volunteers from the peace group Standing Together acted as human shields in purple vests, attempting to prevent assaults where possible.
Among the crowd was Minister Ben-Gvir, who earlier in the day made a controversial visit to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, where Jewish prayer is officially prohibited. His presence, coupled with provocative rhetoric, drew further condemnation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a cabinet meeting in Silwan, a Palestinian neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem and a frequent flashpoint in settler-Palestinian tensions. According to Israeli media, the Shin Bet security service warned the move would be inflammatory, but Netanyahu proceeded—seen by critics as a gesture to appease his far-right coalition allies.
Analysts caution that such maneuvers may undermine diplomatic efforts led by the U.S., which has consistently urged against unilateral actions that heighten tensions in the city.
The flag march has become a potent symbol of contested sovereignty in Jerusalem and has previously sparked broader conflict, including the 2021 war between Israel and Hamas.
Danny Seidemann, a Jerusalem-based attorney specializing in the city's geopolitical landscape, called Netanyahu’s cabinet meeting “political pyromania.”
“The ridge south of the Old City, where the meeting was held, is both the site of biblical Jerusalem and a modern Palestinian neighborhood,” Seidemann said. “The past is being weaponized by biblically motivated settlers to displace Palestinians and reshape the city in their vision. This is the most volatile ground in Jerusalem—and it’s where Netanyahu has chosen to ‘celebrate.’”
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