Ultranationalist Jews Chant Racist Slogans During Annual March Into Jerusalem's Old City

JERUSALEM — Large crowds of ultranationalist Jews gathered Thursday astatine nan ft of Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate, chanting racist slogans for illustration “Death to Arabs” and “May your villages burn” arsenic they began an yearly parade done nan Palestinian areas of nan Old City, a convoy often characterized by violence.

The young, mostly-male group did their chanting nether nan oculus of Israeli police, who had barred disconnected parts of nan plaza for journalists to screen nan event. Normally a bustling marketplace for Palestinian residents of eastbound Jerusalem, nan plaza was devoid of Palestinians arsenic nan march began.

The march commemorates what Israel calls Jerusalem Day, which marks Israel’s seizure of eastbound Jerusalem, including nan Old City and its beatified sites ineffable to Jews, Christians and Muslims, successful nan 1967 Mideast war. This twelvemonth it comes arsenic nan state moves toward caller elections, and Israel’s hard-line authorities is eager to bolster support among its belief and nationalist base.

The convoy often leads to convulsive confrontations betwixt ultranationalists and Palestinian residents. On Thursday nan crowd could besides beryllium heard chanting “Muhammad is dead,” successful reference to nan Muslim prophet and laminitis of Islam.

By early Thursday, astir Palestinian residents of nan area had locked themselves successful their homes and shopkeepers hung dense padlocks connected nan doors, closing down early for safety.

Yehonatan Sopher, 21, said he has been participating successful nan yearly march since coming pinch his family arsenic a child. This year, he said he came pinch chap students astatine a Jewish seminary he attends successful bluish Israel, spending nan nighttime successful dream and Torah study earlier walking to Jerusalem.

“Jerusalem is 1 of nan astir meaningful things successful our religion,” he said. “It’s nan guidelines of everything.” He dismissed nan racist chants arsenic nan acts of a mini number of participants.

Earlier successful nan day, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir staged different provocative sojourn to Jerusalem’s astir delicate beatified site, nan hilltop compound that is location to nan Al-Aqsa Mosque, nan 3rd holiest tract successful Islam. Jews revere nan tract arsenic nan Temple Mount, wherever nan biblical temples erstwhile stood and nan holiest tract successful Judaism.

Ben Gvir raised an Israeli flag, singing and claiming “the Temple Mount is successful our hands,” referencing a celebrated connection from nan Israeli paratrooper commandant successful 1967 who announced Israeli power of parts of nan Old City.

His sojourn threatened to inflame tensions that are rife successful nan metropolis aft 2 and a half years of near-constant warfare and vulnerable ceasefires. Four years ago, clashes betwixt Palestinian protesters and Israeli constabulary astatine nan tract group disconnected an 11-day warfare betwixt Israel and Hamas.

Scuffles collapsed retired erstwhile groups of young marchers entered nan Old City earlier nan commencement of nan march, encountering Palestinians successful nan Christian quarter. They threw chairs astatine each other. Activists from Standing Together, an Israeli-Palestinian coexistence group, moved successful to effort to extremity nan confrontation, video circulated by nan statement showed.

“When we put our bodies connected nan line, it oftentimes reduces nan unit because settlers are little consenting to onslaught erstwhile location are Jews location aliases erstwhile we archive what’s going on,” said Ori Shaham, nan group’s world spokesperson.

Another group opposed to extremist Jewish unit called Tag Meir held an yearly “flower march” earlier nan crowds descended, handing retired flowers to shopkeepers earlier they closed early.

Jerusalem lies astatine nan bosom of nan conflict betwixt Israelis and Palestinians. Each sees nan metropolis arsenic a cardinal portion of their nationalist and belief identity. It is 1 of nan astir intractable issues of nan conflict and is often a flashpoint.

Israel considers each of Jerusalem to beryllium its eternal, undivided capital. Its annexation of eastbound Jerusalem is not internationally recognized. Palestinians want an independent authorities pinch eastbound Jerusalem arsenic its capital.

Frankel writes for nan Associated Press.