Tensions high as thousands of far-right Israelis march in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM

Thousands of far-right Israelis gathered in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday for the annual “flag day” march, which took place this year amid heightened tensions.

Israeli authorities said they deployed 3,200 security personnel for the parade, which is held by Israeli settlers to celebrate what they call the unification of Jerusalem, referring to Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.

Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev was among the people with Israeli flags at the Damascus Gate Square.

Crowds of Palestinians responded by waving Palestinian flags as the Israelis also performed their so-called “flag dance.”

The march begins in West Jerusalem, moving through the Damascus Gate and the Muslim Quarter in the Old City to the Buraq Wall, which Jews call the Wailing Wall.

The controversial march has triggered violent clashes in recent years, including an 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza in May 2021.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents Islam’s third-holiest site. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi