Tens of thousands Israelis join controversial Flag March in Jerusalem

WorldPolitics
15 May 2026 • 2:49 AM MYT
DPA International
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Image from: Tens of thousands Israelis join controversial Flag March in Jerusalem
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir holds an Israeli flag during a march in Jerusalem's Old City, marking Jerusalem Day, an Israeli holiday commemorating the capture of East Jerusalem during the 1967 war. (zu dpa: «Tens of thousands Israelis join controversial Flag March in Jerusalem») Oren Ziv/dpa

Multiple people were arrested during the controversial Flag March through Jerusalem's Old Town on Thursday, according to police.

Tens of thousands of Israelis marched through the Old Town, including the Muslim Quarter, waving Israeli flags.

Several arrests were made due to "isolated clashes and acts of violence," police said.

Jerusalem's Palestinian residents view the annual march as a severe provocation. It is held on Jerusalem Day and celebrates the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War, which also saw Israel seize the West Bank.

The Palestinians claim the occupied territories for their own state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Local media reported some participants shouted slogans including "Death to Arabs."

Nationalist Israelis attacked Palestinian residents before the march began and damaged shop windows, the Haaretz newspaper reported.

Other media reported clashes between marchers and residents as well as pro-Palestinian activists. Footage published by several outlets shows chairs sent flying through the air.

Israeli journalists on the ground also reported having been attacked by participants in the march. Most shops in the area were reportedly closed in anticipation of the violence, with the march having resulted in clashes many times before.

Thousands of security forces have been deployed to the scene, according to media reports.

Meanwhile, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir waved an Israeli flag on the Temple Mount, as it is known to Jews, in another provocation for Palestinians.

The area in Jerusalem's Old City, referred to as the Noble Sanctuary by Muslims, is sacred to both religions, as it houses the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock shrine, but also the ruins of the Biblical Jewish Temple.

Questions about control of the site frequently lead to outbursts of fighting.

"The Temple Mount is in our hands,” Ben-Gvir wrote on X.

The minister also prays at the site on a regular basis, violating an agreement with Palestinian authorities that Jews are permitted to visit the site but are not allowed to pray there.

Image from: Tens of thousands Israelis join controversial Flag March in Jerusalem
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir attends a march in Jerusalem's Old City, marking Jerusalem Day, an Israeli holiday commemorating the capture of East Jerusalem during the 1967 war. (zu dpa: «Tens of thousands Israelis join controversial Flag March in Jerusalem») Oren Ziv/dpa