Tens of thousands gathered Monday afternoon for the annual Jerusalem Flag March, which proceeded along its traditional route from the city center through the Old City to the Western Wall. A small number of clashes were reported at Damascus Gate, where Jewish youths were seen chanting nationalist slogans, including “Death to Arabs” and “Burn your village.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived at the site during the unrest.
Elsewhere in the Old City, cardboard signs reading “Belongs to a Jew,” “Jewish-owned,” and “Do not damage” were hung on ATMs. In response, Democratic Party chair Yair Golan condemned the event. “Shocking images from the Flag March. This is not love for Jerusalem—it is hate, racism and thuggery," he said. "This is not our Judaism or the Zionism we believe in. It’s the product of an anti-Zionist, non-Jewish, inciting and racist government. We will fight for a Jerusalem for all—Christians, Jews and Arabs, secular and religious. Jerusalem belongs to all who love her, and we will fight to restore it as a city for everyone.”
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Opposition leader Yair Lapid added: “The hate and racism festival, where Jewish youths attack Arab neighborhoods, has become a tradition on Jerusalem Day in the Old City. It is a disgrace and an insult to Judaism. There is nothing Jewish about this violence. Government ministers who remain silent in the face of these events are complicit in the shame.”
Clashes between Jewish and Arab youth at the Damascus Gate
Itamar Ben-Gvir at Damascus Gate
(Photo: Alex Gamburg)
Earlier in the day, Ben-Gvir and Knesset lawmaker Zvi Sukkot of the Religious Zionism party ascended the Temple Mount, where Sukkot waved an Israeli flag. Clashes also broke out in the Old City between marchers and activists who arrived “to protect Palestinians”; several individuals were arrested.
Two suspects were arrested in separate incidents for attacking passersby with pepper spray and taken in for questioning. Police also responded to suspected public disturbances, assaults and threats throughout the day.
In accordance with security instructions, loudspeakers placed along the parade route are set to sound alarms in case of an incoming missile attack, instructing participants to lie on the ground. Thousands of police officers were deployed at key points across the capital, particularly at Old City entrances, the Western Wall area, and official ceremony locations.