Protest march by Israeli nationalists: intensity of conflict heightened
Escalating Violence in Jerusalem: Clashes During Israeli Flag March, "Death to the Arabs" Chant
Jerusalem, May 26 - Tensions reached a boiling point during Monday's annual Flag March in Jerusalem's Old City, a predominantly Arab neighborhood, resulting in clashes and attacks on journalists and Palestinian shop owners.
Initially, the Israeli nationalists participating in the march harassed the few Palestinian shop owners who had not closed for the day. This led to a series of violent confrontations between the demonstrators and left-wing Israeli activists and journalists documenting the event.
The participants, predominantly young settlers from the occupied West Bank, were heard chanting nationalist slogans, including the inflammatory "Death to the Arabs." Eyewitnesses reported attacks on civilians and Arab shops, with the Israeli police present appearing to do little to intervene.
Notably, no arrests were made until the late afternoon, as the participants were underage, according to a police officer on the scene.
Thousands of people joined the march, which commemorates Israel's conquest of East Jerusalem in 1967 and has regularly led to confrontations with Palestinians. Many Palestinian shop owners opted to close their stores out of fear of violent attacks.
The march is viewed by Palestinians as a provocation that undermines their claim to East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel's claim to the city during a cabinet meeting held in East Jerusalem earlier that day.
The volatile situation was further fueled by a visit by the far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Ben Gvir stated, in a video, that Jews can now pray on the Temple Mount, a sacred site for both religions, setting off a wave of condemnation from the Palestinian Authority and neighboring Jordan.
The violence and incitement have drawn international criticism, with the EU and the UAE both calling for restraint and peaceful coexistence, and expressing concerns over the safety of Palestinians and journalists. The EU has also condemned incidents of incitement to violence and intimidation on Jerusalem Day.
The European Union (EU) has expressed concerns over the escalating violence in Jerusalem, following clashes during the annual Flag March and the inflammatory chant "Death to the Arabs" by Israeli nationalists. General news outlets and politics analysts are closely monitoring the situation, as the march, commemorating Israel's conquest of East Jerusalem in 1967, has become a source of conflict and war-and-conflicts between Palestinians and Israelis. Crime-and-justice issues have also risen, with reports of attacks on civilians and Arab shops, and the Israeli police being perceived as doing little to intervene.
