Thousands of Israeli nationalists paraded through Jerusalem’s Old City chanting racist slogans on an annual celebratory day for Israelis. The crowd, which consisted of mostly men celebrating Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem in 1967, waved blue and white Israeli flags and chanted racist slogans such as “Death to Arabs,” “Mohammed is Dead” and “May Your Village Burn”
Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem is not internationally recognised and Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state for them.
A celebration of the Jerusalem Day, had fuelled an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, around 2 years ago.
A violent turn of events
Throughout the day, hundreds of marchers waving blue and white Israeli flags marched through the Damascus Gate to the Old City in the Western Wall.
The event, which has been a source of friction over the years, witnessed a deployment of over 2,500 police officers for this year’s parade. Hundreds more were stationed around the city.
As the crowd danced and chanted Jewish religious songs outside Damascus Gate, several Israeli police stood guard. The city’s authorities barred Palestinians from going through most of the gates into the Old City.
However, a group of marchers threw rocks and bottles at members of the press covering the event. The incident wounded three journalists. A Palestinian reporter working for Haaretz, was struck in the neck, as reported by the newspaper’s website.
The authorities have arrested two people responsible for the attack and have described the attack as an “isolated incident”.
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Groups of extremist Zionists threw glass bottles
A Palestinian freelance journalist, Ibrahim Hamad who was covering events at Damascus Gate stated that the attack was unprovoked. He reported that “we were standing here as journalists and there were also some women wearing hijabs near us. Groups of extremist Zionists started throwing glass bottles and sticks.” He further stated that “I believe they were trying to stop us from showing what they are doing.”
A review of the events
While the events of the march were unfolding, four police officers approached a Palestinian community leader Fakhri Abu Diab, who was giving a telephonic interview to Israel’s Ynet news just outside the al-Aqsa mosque. One of the police officers grabbed his phone and threw it on the ground. Diab was then forced out of the mosque compound and held at a street corner for an hour and a half.
While this incident was criticised by the Ynet news editor, Nir Cohen, the police spokesperson has refused to comment on the matter.
A spokesperson for the Palestinian president in the occupied West Bank, Nabil Abu Rudeineh commented on the matter by saying that allowing the march to snake through Palestinian areas of the Old City “will only lead to a rise in tension and could lead to an explosion.”
