Itamar Ben Gvir’s Jerusalem Flag March Triggers “Death to Arabs” Chants in Old City

Ahead of Israel’s annual “Dance of the Flags” march through the Old City on Jerusalem Day, the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City in occupied East Jerusalem largely emptied by midday as Palestinian residents and traders lowered metal shutters or left the area altogether.

“Far-right activists chanted “death to Arabs” and engaged in violent clashes ahead of the annual “Dance of the Flags” march through the Old City that commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War”

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Fadi, a 48-year-old shopkeeper, said, "If I don't want to get attacked, I have to close," as far-right settlers began marching through the streets hours before official festivities had started.

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The clashes escalated into physical attacks against two shopkeepers, who defended themselves with plastic chairs while “Protective Presence” activists attempted to de-escalate the situation, and the confrontation lasted no more than 30 seconds.

During the day, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque alongside hundreds of settlers, then brandished an Israeli flag and declared, "The Temple Mount is in our hands".

About 200 teenagers and men gathered just inside Damascus Gate, taking turns chanting “Death to Arabs” and “A Jew is a soul, an Arab is a son of a whore,” as activists escorted the few Palestinians who came and went from their homes.

Amid the Flag March, the Forward reported that Israeli police removed left-wing peace activists who said they were trying to protect Palestinian residents in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Anton Goodman, Director of Partnerships at Rabbis for Human Rights, told the Forward that he saw participants vandalizing Palestinian-owned businesses and homes, saying, "They went into Palestinian-owned shops, and smashed all the wares up in them, threw everything on the floor, and smashed plates."

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The Forward also described how peace activists said the Old City was largely empty as Palestinian shopkeepers closed their stores early in anticipation of the march.

Yishai Fleisher, the international spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Hebron and councilman in Efrat, said he saw a different picture, telling the Forward, "I walked with the crowds and saw the majesty and beauty of the event."

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of New York City-based T’ruah, said police forced her group out after teenagers threw water bottles at them, and she quoted the police response: "They told us that the area was closed and we couldn't be there."

The Middle East Eye described how, as the day wore on, activists and journalists were pushed out to make way for the incoming procession of those participating in the March of Flags, flooding the area with Israeli flags and Third Temple flag symbols.

“Inside Israel’s Flag March and the erasure of Palestinians in Jerusalem By midday, the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City in occupied East Jerusalem had largely emptied”

Middle East Eye

One large banner read, "It’s not Al-Aqsa, it’s the Temple Mount. You want a massacre? You'll get the Nakba," while other participants wore stickers featuring Ben Gvir and a noose referencing a death penalty bill targeting Palestinian prisoners that he helped pass in the Knesset.

The Forward framed the day’s stakes through the actions of the police and the “protective presence” of peace activists, saying around 300 peace activists came to the Old City to patrol and show support for Palestinian residents.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs told the Forward that when her group approached Damascus Gate, police responded by forcing them out, and she said, "They physically pushed us."

In parallel, Anton Goodman said police intervened when he tried to help an elderly Palestinian man who was being harassed near Damascus Gate, adding that he was "pulled aside violently by the border police" and pushed out of the area.