Palestine live news: Israelis hold flag march in East Jerusalem | News
Earlier hundreds of far-right nationalists stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, raising concerns of confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians.
- Thousands of far-right Israelis gather at Damascus Gate in the occupied East Jerusalem to mark the so-called flag march in the Old City.
- The march is held to mark what Israelis call the day of unifying Jerusalem, in reference to Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 and subsequent annexation which is not internationally recognised.
- Settlers chanted pro-Israeli slogans and chants against Palestinians and Islam’s prophet Muhammad, the witnesses said.
- Scuffles between settlers and Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem were reported sporadically.
Here are the updates
Jewish groups chant ‘death to Arabs’
Thousands of Israeli ultra-nationalists, some of them chanting “Death to Arabs,” paraded through the heart of the main Palestinian thoroughfare in occupied Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday during the so-called flag march.
The crowds of overwhelmingly young Orthodox Jewish men, gathered outside Damascus Gate, waving flags, singing religious and nationalistic songs, and shouting “the Jewish nation lives” before entering the Muslim Quarter.
One large group chanted “Death to Arabs,” and “Let your village burn down” before descending into the Old City.
“The crowds of overwhelmingly young Orthodox Jewish men, gathered outside Damascus Gate, waving flags, singing religious and nationalistic songs, and shouting “the Jewish nation lives” before entering the Muslim quarter of the old city,” Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said.
“One large group chanted “Death to Arabs,” and “Let your village burn down” before descending into the Old City,” Khan reporting from Old Jerusalem said.
“Police cleared Palestinians out of the area, which is normally a bustling Palestinian thoroughfare.”
Israeli far-right parade
Each year, thousands of Israeli far-right groups participate in the parade, waving Israeli flags and singing songs as they pass through the narrow streets of the Old City’s Muslim quarter.
The march is meant to celebrate Israel’s capture of occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 war. Israel subsequently annexed the area in a move that is not internationally recognised.
Palestinians, who have been forced to shutter their businesses and stay indoors, view the march as a blatant provocation as Jewish settlers flaunt their sovereignty over the occupied territory.
