Israeli Nationalists Chant “Death to Arabs” During Jerusalem Day Flag March Through Old City

Thousands of Israeli nationalists chanted “Death to Arabs” during an annual Jerusalem Day procession through Jerusalem’s Old City, as groups of young Israeli Jews made their way through Muslim neighborhoods on Monday.

“Thousands of Israeli nationalists chant ‘death to Arabs’ during annual procession through Jerusalem Groups of Israeli ultranationalists made their way through neighborhoods of Jerusalem’s Old City on Monday, during an annual march marking Israel’s conquest of the eastern part of the city”

Associated Press

The Associated Press described the march as marking Israel’s conquest of the eastern part of the city, with police lining the alleys and “a police officer raised his arms in celebration at one point, hugging a marcher.”

Associated Press

The AP said the event threatened to inflame tensions “after nearly 600 days of war in Gaza,” and it placed the march in the broader context of Jerusalem as a flashpoint for Israelis and Palestinians.

The Xinhua report similarly said far-right Israeli activists took part in the “Flag March” through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter, with videos showing chanting including “Death to Arabs,” “May your village burn,” and “Revenge.”

France 24 reported that the Flag March, held to mark Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem in the 1967 war, turned into “a scene of tension and chaos” after participants shouted “Death to the Arabs” and attacked Palestinians and journalists.

EFE said the settlers passed through the Muslim Quarter and shouted “Death to the Arabs!” and “The soul of the Jews is pure; the soul of the Arabs is disgusting.”

Across the accounts, the march’s route and timing were tied to Jerusalem Day, with the AP describing the march as an annual event and Xinhua placing it on Monday, May 26, 2025, as “58 years since Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War.”

Several reports tied the day’s escalation to visits and incursions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appearing as a central figure.

The Associated Press said Ben-Gvir “visited a hilltop compound holy to Jews and Muslims, where Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are located,” and it quoted him saying, “We are marking a holiday for Jerusalem,” adding, “There are truly many Jews flooding the Temple Mount. How nice to see that.”

EFE

The AP also reported that Ben-Gvir said he was changing the status quo, and it quoted him: “Today, thank God, it is possible to pray on the Temple Mount,” while the prime minister’s office said there had been “no change.”

France 24 described Ben-Gvir’s visit as drawing condemnation and quoted his statement: “Many Jews are flocking to the Temple Mount, what a joy to see that, and today, thank God, it has become possible to pray on the Temple Mount.”

Al Jazeera’s report said “more than a thousand settlers, including Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of police and Israeli forces,” and it included Ben-Gvir’s Telegram quote: “I ascended to the Noble Sanctuary on Jerusalem Day, and I prayed for the success of the newly appointed head of Shin Bet, Major General David Zini.”

Al Jazeera also said Israeli forces “assaulted several of the mosque guards and expelled them from the mosque yards,” and it added that “more than 200 troops” were deployed to secure the settlers’ incursions.

The Associated Press further connected the compound to the Gaza war by noting Hamas accused Israel of “desecrating” the site when it launched its Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

Multiple outlets described harassment and attacks during the Flag March, including assaults on Palestinians, journalists, and Israeli left-wing activists, with Reuters witnesses cited by France 24.

“Israeli nationalists shout 'Death to the Arabs' during the Jerusalem Day Flag March”

France 24

France 24 said the march “descended into chaos after attacks on Palestinians, journalists, and Israeli left-wing activists,” and it reported that violence erupted “shortly after noon when young men among the march participants began harassing the few Palestinian shopowners who had not closed their shops before the march began.”

It added that participants “began targeting left-wing Israeli activists and journalists covering the march,” and it stated that “a Reuters witness said a group of young settlers spat at a Palestinian woman and at journalists, without intervention by nearby Israeli police.”

The Associated Press described the march as “rowdy and sometimes violent,” with Palestinian shopkeepers closing early and police lining the alleys, and it said police kept a close watch as demonstrators “jumped, danced and sang.”

EFE reported that “around 50 boys wearing knitted kippahs and side curls (payos) and the traditional dress of Israeli settlers in the West Bank surround and spit at two Palestinian women,” and it said the scenes repeated “throughout the day: crowds shouting, pushing, spitting, and shoving Palestinians of all ages.”

EFE also quoted a flower shop clerk near Damascus Gate saying, “If we don’t close, they tell us it’s our responsibility, and then they let them attack us,” and it described an Israeli activist shouting “You are like Nazis!” while settlers tried to snatch his phone.

Xinhua reported that the parade was held under heavy police presence, with “thousands” of police officers, Border Police troops, and volunteers securing the event, and it said “Several suspects have been arrested for involvement in violent incidents during the Jerusalem Day events.”

The reports diverged in how they framed the day’s violence and in the scale of security and participation, even while describing the same core event.

The Associated Press emphasized the march’s symbolism and the heat, saying it was “blazing hot, with temperatures hitting 98 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius) in late afternoon,” and it described police as calling the procession the “Dance of Flags.”

Middle East Eye

France 24 also described the march’s size in terms of “tens of thousands of hard-right activists,” and it said there were “no reports of arrests as of late afternoon,” while also quoting a police official who said Israeli youths could not be arrested because they were “under 18.”

Xinhua, by contrast, said the annual event drew mainly ultranationalist religious Jewish youths and described police presence as “thousands” of police officers, Border Police troops, and volunteers, while also stating that “Several suspects have been arrested.”

EFE provided a different participation estimate, saying the Israeli police estimate could be “over 10,000,” and it described crowds growing “from dozens to thousands of people.”

Middle East Eye framed the chants as part of a broader political aim, saying the event “is held every year to mark the occupation and conquest of Palestinian East Jerusalem,” and it tied the chants to the 1948 Nakba by saying “let your village burn” was “a reference to the 1948 Nakba.”

It also cited a Times of Israel claim about arrests, saying “According to the Times of Israel, Israeli police arrested a Palestinian youth who was involved in scuffles with the marchers.”

The day’s events were presented as part of a wider struggle over sovereignty and the future of Jerusalem, with Netanyahu pledging to keep the city under Israeli control while Palestinian officials condemned the march and Ben-Gvir’s actions.

“Far-right Israeli activists take part in a flag march to mark Jerusalem Day in Jerusalem's Old City, on May 26, 2025”

Xinhua

The Associated Press reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to “preserve a united, whole Jerusalem, and the sovereignty of Israel,” and it said he told the public the government was encouraging foreign embassies to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and investing “billions of shekels” in the city’s development.

Al-Jazeera Net

France 24 quoted Netanyahu at a Cabinet meeting saying, “We will keep Jerusalem united and whole and under Israeli sovereignty.”

In parallel, Al-Arabiya’s correspondent Christine Rinaoui reported that Israeli settlers desecrated Damascus Gate Square and withdrew carrying signs reading “Gaza is in our hands,” and it said Netanyahu’s pledge came during a Cabinet meeting held in Silwan, south of the walls of the Old City in East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Authority presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudineh condemned the march and Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Al-Aqsa compound, and France 24 quoted him warning of “the danger of continuing the occupation authorities' aggression against the Palestinian people, whether through extermination in Gaza or what is happening in the West Bank with incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Al Jazeera’s report said Palestinian warnings focused on “serious consequences,” and it described the Jerusalem Governorate warning of “a dangerous escalation” as occupation authorities organized “a series of settler colonial Judaization events aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.”

EFE further stated that “the military operation on Gaza has since claimed the lives of nearly 54,000 Palestinians,” linking the Jerusalem Day violence to the broader war’s human toll.