Two Jewish marchers arrested in violent Jerusalem Day

Published: 19 May 2023

Last updated: 5 March 2024

Participants in the flag parade attacked Palestinians, threw objects at journalists and chanted 'Death to Arabs'.

Hundreds of religious nationalists marched through the Old City of Jerusalem to mark Jerusalem Day on Thursday evening, effectively shutting the city to Arabs and creating violent incidents.

Two marchers, one adult and one minor, were detained by police for allegedly throwing objects at journalists in the Damascus Gate area. They were searched and a knife was discovered in the possession of the minor suspect.

Marchers unleashed barrages of stones and bottles towards a group of foreign journalists, including Arab journalists. The attack left several journalists and photographers injured, with one sustaining a head injury, another struck in the back, and a third injured in the leg, leading them to vacate their positions for safety. On-site medical treatment was administered to the injured journalists and photographers.

Participants in the flag parade chant racist slogans:"Death to the Arabs" and "A Jew is a soul, an Arab is a son of a whore" near the Damascus Gate as they prepared to march through the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City.

Commenting ahead of this year's event, a Haaretz editorial wrote, "The essence of the Flag March is to poke a finger in the eye of the city’s Palestinian inhabitants, to humiliate them and to drive home the fact that 40 percent of the residents of Israel’s capital live under occupation.

"Absurdly, the march actually underscores the fragility of Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem. It takes place under heavy security provided by thousands of police officers, after the police impose severe restrictions on the Palestinian public and merchants."

A small counter march was held in Jaffa, where dozens of Jews and Arabs protested the Flag March.

Israel's Flag March of Shame (Haaretz)