Thousands of Israeli nationalists marched through Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem on Wednesday, causing tense scenes and clashes with police.
The annual Flag March celebrates Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. Critics accuse organizers of deliberately antagonizing the city’s divided Palestinian community, with tensions running particularly high this year over the conflict with Gaza.
Large contingents of police separated protesters and Palestinians in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday, Israeli media reported, with some participants arrested for attacking a group of journalists.
A reporter for the Israeli liberal newspaper Haaretz wrote on the social media platform X that a colleague was attacked after defending fellow journalists. Five people were arrested in the incident, police said.
Before the Six-Day War, Jordan controlled East Jerusalem, which contains important religious monuments including the Wailing Wall – one of the holiest sites in Judaism – and the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.
At previous marches, young ultra-nationalist Israelis have rioted and committed violence against Palestinians.
