Tensions Erupt in Jerusalem as Nationalist March Draws Racist Chants and Heavy Security Presence

BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA

Thousands of ultranationalist Jewish Israelis flooded the streets surrounding Jerusalem’s Old City on Thursday during the annual Jerusalem Day march, chanting anti-Arab slogans and moving through predominantly Palestinian neighborhoods under heavy police protection in a display that heightened tensions across the already volatile city.

Large crowds, made up mostly of young religious nationalist men, gathered outside Damascus Gate before the procession began, waving Israeli flags, singing nationalist songs and shouting slogans including “Death to Arabs” and “May your villages burn.” Other chants insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad echoed through the area as Israeli police formed security lines around the gathering and sealed off sections of the plaza.

Damascus Gate, usually crowded with Palestinian families, merchants and shoppers from east Jerusalem, stood largely deserted as Palestinian residents stayed indoors and businesses shut their doors hours before the march arrived. Metal shutters and heavy padlocks lined the narrow streets around the Old City as residents prepared for potential confrontations that have become a recurring feature of the annual event.

The march marks what Israel calls Jerusalem Day, commemorating Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem, including the Old City and major religious sites, during the 1967 Middle East war. Israelis celebrate the day as the reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli control, while Palestinians view it as the beginning of military occupation over the eastern part of the city they seek as the capital of a future independent state.

The annual parade through Muslim and Palestinian sections of the Old City has long been controversial and frequently leads to clashes between Israeli ultranationalists, Palestinian residents and security forces. This year’s march unfolded amid heightened political and regional tensions, with Israel approaching another national election cycle and Prime Minister facing growing pressure from hard-line nationalist allies to reinforce support among conservative and religious voters.

Participants streamed into Jerusalem from settlements and religious schools across Israel, many arriving in organized groups carrying flags and chanting patriotic and religious slogans. Some danced through the streets surrounding the Old City while others taunted Palestinians watching from windows or rooftops.

Among those attending was 21-year-old Yehonatan Sopher, who said he had participated in the march since childhood and traveled to Jerusalem with fellow students from a religious seminary in northern Israel.

“Jerusalem is one of the most meaningful things in our religion,” he said. “It’s the root of everything.”

Sopher attempted to downplay the racist chants heard throughout the crowd, describing them as the actions of only a minority of participants. However, the slogans were widespread and audible across large sections of the march route as police officers monitored the gathering from nearby barricades.

Earlier in the day, tensions escalated further when Israeli National Security Minister visited the hilltop compound known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

The site contains the , Islam’s third-holiest shrine, while Jews revere the area as the location of the biblical Jewish temples and the holiest site in Judaism.

During the visit, Ben Gvir raised an Israeli flag and declared that “the Temple Mount is in our hands,” repeating a phrase associated with Israeli forces during the 1967 war. Videos circulating on Israeli media and social platforms showed him singing with supporters while surrounded by security personnel.

The visit immediately drew criticism from Palestinians and regional observers, who viewed it as a provocative gesture at one of the most sensitive religious sites in the world. The compound has repeatedly served as a flashpoint for violence, including clashes in 2021 that helped ignite an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Thursday’s events unfolded against the backdrop of nearly three years of conflict, military operations and fragile ceasefires that have deepened mistrust between Israelis and Palestinians and left Jerusalem in a constant state of tension.

Scattered confrontations broke out even before the official start of the march. In the Christian Quarter of the Old City, groups of young Jewish marchers and Palestinian residents threw chairs and objects at each other during brief clashes that were later dispersed.

Activists from , a Jewish-Arab coexistence organization, moved between the groups in an effort to reduce violence and document incidents. Videos released by the organization showed activists attempting to separate confrontations as crowds surged through narrow alleyways.

Ori Shaham, an international spokesperson for the organization, said activists deliberately placed themselves between opposing groups to discourage attacks and reduce tensions.

“When we put our bodies on the line, it oftentimes reduces the violence because settlers are less willing to attack when there are Jews there or when we document what’s going on,” Shaham said.

Another Israeli anti-racism organization, , organized what it described as a “flower march” earlier in the day. Activists handed flowers to Palestinian shopkeepers and residents before businesses closed ahead of the nationalist procession.

Despite those efforts, fear and anxiety were visible across Palestinian neighborhoods surrounding the Old City. Families remained indoors as police deployed large numbers of officers throughout east Jerusalem, setting up checkpoints and restricting movement around key gates and alleyways.

Jerusalem remains one of the central and most emotionally charged issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim the city as their capital, and disputes over sovereignty, religion and identity continue to fuel recurring unrest.

Israel considers the entire city its eternal and indivisible capital following its annexation of east Jerusalem after the 1967 war, a move not recognized by much of the international community. Palestinians, meanwhile, seek east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state alongside the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The competing claims have made Jerusalem one of the most difficult issues in any peace negotiations, while religious sites in the Old City continue to serve as flashpoints capable of triggering wider regional conflict.

As night fell over Jerusalem, nationalist crowds continued marching through the narrow streets of the Old City under tight security, while Palestinian residents remained largely out of sight behind shuttered storefronts and locked doors, bracing for another night of uncertainty in a city deeply divided by history, religion and politics.