Israel deploys heavy police presence ahead of contentious Jerusalem march
An Israeli police officer stands guard in front of the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem's Old City, on May 18, 2023. Thousands of Jewish nationalists, some of them chanting "Death to Arabs" and other racist slogans, paraded on Thursday through the main Palestinian thoroughfare of Jerusalem's Old City, in an annual display that caused new friction between Jews and Palestinians in the tense city.
Israeli police, who had said that violence and incitement would not be tolerated, kept the sides apart but did little to stop the chants. Palestinian businesses were either shuttered or empty, and marchers occasionally threw water bottles at nearby journalists, eliciting cheers from the crowd.Jerusalem Day is meant to celebrate Israel's capture of east Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites, in the 1967 Mideast war.
Israel's national security minister, far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, has joined the march in past years. His office said he would join the march later Thursday, his first time participating as a Cabinet member. Ben-Gvir is a leading figure in Israel's new far-right government, which took office last December.
The hilltop compound is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, home to the ancient Jewish Temples, and is the holiest site in Judaism. Palestinians revere it as the Noble Sanctuary, and it is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.
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