Thousands of Israelis celebrate Jerusalem Day under heavy security measures
As they do every year, thousands of Israelis celebrated Jerusalem Day, a day to commemorate the reunification of the holy city after the victory in the Six-Day War in 1967. This year's March of Flags comes on the heels of an escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) war, and the event was held under tight security to prevent riots. As police sources told the media, 2,500 officers were assigned to control the march and another 1,000 were stationed in the Old City.
Still, as usual, Israeli ultra-nationalists insulted and beat up Arab citizens and shouted racist slogans. There were also problems between police and journalists covering the event. As reported by CNN, Israeli agents pushed two of its reporters. The Times of Israel also reported insults against its workers.
#Jerusalem_Day, #Flag_March through the Old City's Muslim quarter. Violence erupts, put down quickly by #Israel_Police
— Pierre Klochendler (@P_Klochendler) May 18, 2023
Follow our updates on #i24NEWS_FR & #i24NEWS_EN pic.twitter.com/b6NZKLY3r2
However, despite the tension and threats from terrorist groups in Gaza, the day ended without major incidents compared to other years, such as 2021, when Hamas launched several rockets at Israel, starting a war that lasted 11 days. This time, as senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told Reuters, the group "is not interested in escalating the conflict with Israel".
Nor were there any clashes during the morning, when hundreds of Jews, including politicians, defied the ban and visited the Esplanade of the Mosques or Temple Mount, the third holiest site in Islam and the most important site in Judaism. However, Arab countries such as Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates condemned the move as unnecessary provocations that could cause even more problems and tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. Last April, Israeli police raids on the Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan prompted groups from Gaza, Lebanon and Syria to launch rockets at Israeli territory.
While Jews see the day as the reunification of their eternal capital after thousands of years, Palestinians see it as a provocation aimed at reinforcing the Jewish presence in the city. "Jerusalem, with its Islamic and Christian sanctities, is the eternal capital of the state of Palestine," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, in a statement reported by Reuters.
56 years ago today, after 2,000 years, Jerusalem 🇮🇱 was reunified as the capital of Israel and the Jewish People.
Since then, the city has become a symbol of faith and diversity.
Today, thousands of Israelis are celebrating #JerusalemDay with a festival parade in the city… pic.twitter.com/pci5XSfOtj— David Saranga (@DavidSaranga) May 18, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamim Netanyahu, meanwhile, ordered the march to the Western Wall to be organised as it is every year despite the tensions caused by the latest escalation. "Jerusalem will remain united forever," said Netanyahu, who also acknowledged that, "despite the threats", he urged citizens to march on the city "on the original path", i.e. through the Muslim Quarter.
Members of the current Israeli government, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich - both far-right - took part in the march. Palestinian officials have accused them of 'planting the seeds of conflict'.
