Tens of thousands of people celebrated Thursday evening at Jerusalem’s Flag March, marking Jerusalem Day with singing and dancing through the capital.
However, before the march began, youths were filmed clashing in Jerusalem’s Old City with residents and left-wing activists who had come to protect them, throwing chairs ahead of the annual Flag Dance. Police said 13 people were arrested or detained.
Old City clashes
(Video: Standing Together movement)
Footage from the scene showed racist chants directed at Arabs, including calls of “may your village burn,” as well as obscene gestures toward residents and members of the media.
Alongside the confrontations, more than 150 activists from the Tag Meir organization handed out up to 3,000 flowers in a “Flower March” in the Old City. They also distributed flyers calling for peace, good neighborly relations and an apology for the distress caused to merchants by the Flag March.
מצעד הדגלים המסורתי לקראת יום ירושלים (צילום: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)
Many participants arrived wearing white shirts and carrying Israeli flags, dancing to the song “Am Yisrael Chai.” Although clashes were recorded in parts of the city, many marchers did not enter friction points with the Old City’s various communities.
Nissan, a resident of Peduel, came to Jerusalem with her children.
“It was very important for us to be part of this special and great day, the day of Jerusalem’s liberation,” she said. “To feel the strength of the people of Israel together and the unity, to see so many Israeli flags and to show the children Jerusalem in all its glory. I grew up with the values that Jerusalem is our city, and it is important for us to pass that on to the next generations.”
Ruby, who moved from Ramat Gan to Jerusalem six years ago, also took to the streets with his three children.
“As a Jerusalemite, I’m happy to see the city full of flags and celebrants,” he said.
Gal, who also came with his children, said: “The march is very beautiful, as it is every year. If there were less politics, maybe more people would come. There were fewer people than last year. King George Street was emptier because of the renovations.”
Shuva Dvir, a resident of the capital, added: “This is the most beautiful city in the world. Jerusalem Day is a day I never want to miss. It is the togetherness of the people of Israel. These are the beautiful faces of our people.”
Police Commissioner Daniel Levy arrived in Jerusalem and praised the police deployment.
“I think first of all, the preparations by the Jerusalem District — as someone who was once deputy commander of the Jerusalem District — are exemplary,” Levy said. “I see it also in the fabric of life of the Muslims, who can continue living here without this march disturbing them, and of course for the marchers, so that no one endangers anyone else.”
“We are doing everything possible,” he said. “If someone comes to riot, they will face a firm hand from us. We will not forgive anyone and we will not give anyone a pass. But if someone comes to riot and we are not there — we cannot be everywhere — then my heart is with whoever is attacked.”
Earlier in the day, undercover Border Police officers arrested a wanted suspect in the Abu Tor neighborhood who was suspected of planning an attack during Jerusalem Day events. According to police, the suspect was located at a car wash compound and arrested by the undercover force without casualties.
Earlier, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount carrying an Israeli flag and sang “Am Yisrael Chai.”
“It is the quietest it has been,” he said. “That comes thanks to deterrence. The Temple Mount is in our hands, the Temple Mount is ours. This year had the quietest Ramadan. We restored governance, we restored deterrence. There is deterrence against terrorists in Jerusalem and across the State of Israel.”
After Ben-Gvir’s visit, youths also ascended the Temple Mount with Israeli flags, but police removed them from the site.
Itamar Ben-Gvir raises the Israeli flag on the Temple Mount
Police deployed heavily in the Old City and at the main friction points amid concerns over clashes between march participants and residents of the Muslim Quarter. Thousands of police officers, Border Police troops and volunteers were stationed across the capital from the early morning hours. Police said they would show “zero tolerance” for violence, incitement or public disorder during the events.
The Flag Dance followed its traditional route, from Sacher Park through the city center and to the Western Wall through the gates of the Old City.
Main roads in Jerusalem were closed at 3 p.m., including King George, Agron, King David, Hativat Yerushalayim, Paratroopers and Sultan Suleiman streets. Light rail service was also reduced during the afternoon.
Police said the deployment was intended to ensure that all events would pass safely, while maintaining public order and security and “a careful balance between freedom of worship and celebration and preserving the city’s normal fabric of life.”
Police also emphasized that they would act “with determination and zero tolerance against any attempt to break the law or harm public security.”
Tensions around Jerusalem Day events were heightened this year because the holiday falls on Friday, when the Temple Mount is regularly closed to Jewish visitors. A long list of ministers and lawmakers recently appealed to Police Commissioner Levy and Jerusalem District Commander Avshalom Peled, demanding that the site be opened exceptionally to Jews on Friday, or alternatively on Jerusalem Day eve.