Occupied East Jerusalem – “We want an annual day to remind the Arabs that we management the [Old City’s Muslim Quarter] … If we marched another route, they might develop to assume that they rule over this space.”
The speaker, a teen who didn’t give his title, was one of many hundreds of younger marchers who had made the journey to occupied East Jerusalem’s Previous Metropolis on Thursday for the annual far-right “flag march”, collectively along with his Yeshiva (Jewish non secular highschool).
The occasion, held on “Jerusalem Day”, which marks the 1967 seize and annexation of East Jerusalem, a transfer thought of unlawful beneath worldwide legislation, has led to violence lately, as far-right Israelis shout provocative slogans and insults, in addition to bodily assault Palestinians and even journalists.
Amongst these attending, there’s an unmistakable sense of Jewish supremacy and a passionate non secular calling underlying the march.
Earlier than the procession gathered on the Damascus Gate after which snaked by way of the Previous Metropolis, tons of of ultranationalists entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, whilst ultra-Orthodox Jews dispersed pamphlets explaining that it was forbidden beneath Jewish legislation to ascend.
Those that ascended through the Mughrabi bridge, some sporting shirts with inflammatory messages, nevertheless, adhere to an alternate Jewish authorized view that allows getting into the outer space of the compound, resulting in the tense conditions that always greet their arrival at Al-Aqsa, the third-holiest web site in Islam and a Palestinian nationwide image.
Palestinian Muslims sitting on the Qibli Mosque within the compound chanted on the far-right Israelis, whereas others sat quietly studying the Qur’an.
By the point the principle occasion started, at about 4pm (13:00 GMT) within the afternoon, many streets within the usually bustling Previous Metropolis had been empty, with Palestinian storeowners largely listening to Israeli police suggestions that they shut their companies for the day to keep away from any confrontation with the marchers.
And but, regardless of makes an attempt by the estimated 2,500 law enforcement officials to cease any incidents, some scuffles did inevitably happen.
One man, an Italian supporter of the Palestinian trigger sporting a keffiyeh scarf round his neck, was harassed by Israeli marchers, one among whom threatened to kill him.
The police, nevertheless, had been capable of largely stop any extra severe fights from happening, largely by conserving the far-right marchers away from everybody else.
The police additionally stopped an try by left-wing and Israeli activists to dam a highway and cease settlers from arriving into Jerusalem from the occupied West Financial institution.
Jewish energy
Folks attending the march appeared desperate to flaunt the tolerance, and even lively encouragement, of their place from the Israeli authorities, significantly with the presence of Israeli authorities ministers and politicians all through the day, together with far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir, who grew to become the primary cupboard minister to ever attend the march. The far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich additionally later attended.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to as the march “a splendid day on which to have fun our return to our everlasting capital”.
However Eliyahu, a marcher from Gush Etzion who got here as a part of a bunch referred to as Jewish Reality – shaped by a bunch who think about themselves much more to the far-right than Ben-Gvir, stated the minister ought to resign.
“Ben-Gvir left the reality,” Eliyahu stated. “He ought to depart the federal government.”
For Eliyahu, the occasion was a possibility to overtly show his far-right place and chant in help of the deportation of Palestinians from their homeland.
“I’m feeling pleasure as a result of we occupied quite a lot of our nation, [but] I really feel very unhappy [we cannot go to Al-Aqsa],” Eliyahu stated, earlier than including that his favorite chant was “Kahane was proper”, a reference to the late ultranationalist Rabbi Meir Kahane, who impressed the Jewish gunman who killed 29 Palestinians in Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque bloodbath in 1994, and established Kach, a celebration that was later declared a “terrorist” organisation in Israel.
“We have to switch out the Arabs,” Eliyahu stated. “We should always have flattened Gaza final week.”
“Kahane was proper”, together with “Loss of life to the Arabs” was a typical chorus from many, however not all, of the marchers, hoisting hundreds of Israeli flags and shouting by way of loudspeakers, all through the day.
Palestinians stored away
Throughout the road from the Damascus Gate, the place hundreds of Jewish Israelis sang euphorically, dozens of Palestinian retailers, markets and eating places had been closed off to public entry, resembling the state of affairs within the Previous Metropolis itself.
One Palestinian Christian shopkeeper advised Al Jazeera that the retailers had been closed to keep away from any vandalisation from march attendees.
There have been fears within the lead-up to the occasion that they might lead wider violence, with the state of affairs within the occupied West Financial institution and Gaza already tense, following greater than a 12 months of almost-daily Israeli raids which have killed tons of of Palestinians, and a four-day battle between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza that left a minimum of 33 Palestinians and one Israeli lifeless.
For Palestinians, occasions just like the flag march function a reminder of the persevering with occupation, and the remedy that many now seek advice from as “apartheid”.
“We Palestinians obtain the message that that is the day they have fun on our account,” stated Fakhri Abu Diab, a group chief in East Jerusalem whose al-Bustan group confronted demolition by the Israeli authorities.
Abu Diab had earlier on Thursday been detained in Al-Aqsa whereas he was being interviewed by an Israeli media outlet.
He stated that he was later launched, however not earlier than being advised he was banned from the Previous Metropolis for the remainder of the day.
“They don’t need me to speak on today of their celebration – even to Israeli media,” Abu Diab stated. “They like we keep in our properties and don’t disturb their celebration of conquering us.”
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