Thousands of Israeli extremists have swept through the narrow streets of occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City, chanting “Death to Arabs” and “May your villages burn” during the annual so-called “Jerusalem Day” march, while many Palestinian residents remained barricaded indoors.
Every year, tens of thousands of Israeli extremists — many of them teenagers and young adults — parade through occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate Israel’s illegal capture and occupation of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
The occupation of East Jerusalem, home to a predominantly Palestinian population, is not recognised by the United Nations.
Over the years, the annual march has repeatedly descended into violence, with groups of young Israeli extremists and criminals targeting Palestinians with racist chants, intimidation and assaults.
This year’s march comes against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war on Iran and a ceasefire in Gaza, which sees near-daily violations by Israel.
Mustafa, a Palestinian resident of the Old City’s Via Dolorosa, said young extremist Israelis had broken into the courtyard of his home, breaking glass and chanting “Death to Arabs”.
“This is a black day… I was inside the home, when around 20 settlers came inside, they broke the doors,” he told AFP news agency.
“If you push them, you’ll go to prison… you can’t do anything.”
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Thousands of Israeli extremists marched along the main roads outside the Old City, among them teenagers draped in Israeli flags and parents carrying babies in their arms.
Reuven, 37, who attended with his young son, said: “Christians and Muslims can stay here, but this city, one united city, belongs to the Jews.”
Israel’s far-right minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, marked the occasion by storming the highly sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam’s third-holiest site.
An AFP correspondent saw Ben Gvir, flanked by bodyguards, marching with the crowds and posing for photos.
