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Jerusalem march: Hundreds of Israelis chant 'death to Arabs'

Jerusalem updates: Hundreds chant 'death to Arabs' as Israelis march through Old City
MENA
9 min read
18 May, 2023
Ministers in Israel's far-right government were among those who carried out the intrusion at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday.

Tens of thousands of Israeli extremists marched through the Palestinian quarter of Jerusalem's Old City today as part of the provocative so-called "flag day" parade, marking Israel's illegal occupation of Jerusalem in 1967 - chanting racist slogans and attacking journalists. 

The parade has become a show of force for Jewish nationalists, and for Palestinians a blatant provocation meant to undermine their ties to the city.

The event is notorious for scenes of Israelis chanting racist slogans such as "Death to Arabs" and harassing Palestinians as they parade through the Old City - and this year was no exception. .

Hundreds of Palestinian stores in the Old City of Jerusalem were forced to shut their doors ahead of march.

Tensions are high all over the occupied West Bank, the blockaded Gaza Strip and in Israel, with the march seen as a threat to the ceasefire reached between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Israel on Saturday, after at least 33 Palestinians were killed in a four-day Israeli bombardment of the besieged Gaza.

Israeli soldiers opened fire on Palestinians raising flags on the Gazan border during protests on Thursday evening, while residents of Silwan defied recent Israeli legislation to raise flags in occupied east Jerusalem. 

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