Israeli nationalists mark Jerusalem Day with violent chants, clashes, and political provocations in East Jerusalem
Consensus Summary
On May 15, 2026, Israeli nationalists marked Jerusalem Day with a provocative march through East Jerusalem’s Old City, chanting racist slogans such as 'death to Arabs' and 'may your villages burn.' The event commemorated the 1967 capture of East Jerusalem, with thousands of right-wing participants, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who unfurled an Israeli flag at the Al-Aqsa compound (Temple Mount), violating long-standing restrictions. Police used force to disperse activists and media, while Palestinian shopkeepers closed early to avoid clashes. Jewish and Palestinian activists from 'Standing Together' provided a protective presence, wearing purple vests to shield locals from violence. Both sources confirm that marchers were bused in from settlements and that tensions escalated between nationalists and Palestinian residents, though details on specific clashes and police actions differ slightly. The event underscored deep divisions over Jerusalem’s status, with Israeli hardliners asserting control while Palestinians view it as an occupation.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The event is Jerusalem Day (anniversary of the 1967 Six Day War and Israeli capture of East Jerusalem), marked by the 'Dance of the Flags' march through the Old City.
- Chants heard during the march included 'death to Arabs', 'Palestinians will be erased', 'may your villages burn', and 'the Jews have a soul, the Arab is a son of a b****'.
- National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa compound (Temple Mount) and unfurled an Israeli flag, declaring 'The Temple Mount is in our hands'.
- Police used force to disperse activists and media inside Jerusalem's Old City walls before the main march began.
- The Jerusalem municipality and government ministries funded a bus operation to transport marchers from around Israel and West Bank settlements to the event.
- The organization 'Standing Together' (Jewish and Palestinian activists) provided a 'protective presence' for Palestinians, wearing purple vests and escorting people through crowds.
- Many Palestinian shopkeepers in the Old City closed early and left to avoid clashes, with some citing fear of vandalism and violence.
- The event took place on May 15, 2026, with preparations and clashes beginning hours before the formal march.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- ABC reporter Hamish Harty documented specific chants including 'Gaza is a graveyard' and 'the Jews have a soul, the Arab is a son of a b****'.
- A banner promising 'another Nakba' (catastrophe) was unfurled by marchers, referencing Palestinian displacement.
- Banners referenced the creation of a 'third temple' on the Temple Mount, currently occupied by Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock.
- An Orthodox man told journalists that recording the event would give Israel a 'bad name overseas' and called journalists 'fake news'.
- Police hoisted an Israeli border police officer onto the shoulders of young nationalists, who sang and danced around him with an Israeli flag.
- Fayez Dakkak, a third-generation Christian shopkeeper, stated: 'Religion has nothing to do with all the craziness that's been happening in the last decades.'
- Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavi of Rabbis for Human Rights said: 'Zionist has become a slur, Israel has become a leper in so many contexts because of the actions of the government.'
- Atara Serwatien, a marcher, said: 'Palestine isn't a state; it's a terrorist organisation.' She claimed to be harassed by Palestinians while accessing the Old City.
- A 19-year-old marcher, Ariel Amichai, said: 'That they [Palestinians] must leave. This is our country. And they can’t just be here and try to stab us or kill us.'
- Amichai claimed Jerusalem Day is the 'only day when Jews can enter the Muslim quarter through the Damascus Gate,' despite daily use by both Israelis and Palestinians.
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich participated in the march.
- Suf Patishi, a Standing Together organiser, said a record 400 volunteers turned up in purple vests to protect Palestinians.
- An ultra-Orthodox man named David (from northern Israel) said he came to 'contrast' violent behaviour in his community, calling it a 'desecration of God’s name'.
- Ben-Gvir posted on Telegram: '59 years after the liberation of Jerusalem, I raised the Israeli flag on the Temple Mount and we can proudly say: We have returned governance to the Temple Mount.'
- Scuffles broke out between far-right Jewish groups and Palestinian residents still in the Muslim Quarter, with chairs thrown and police intervening.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC reports that the International Court of Justice ruled Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful, but this is not mentioned in the Guardian article.
- ABC describes the marchers as 'barely teenagers' from illegal settlements, while the Guardian does not specify ages but notes they were bused in from settlements.
- ABC includes a quote from Fayez Dakkak questioning why aggression is leveled at Muslim and Christian residents, but the Guardian does not include this perspective.
- ABC mentions that police took a 'harder stance against onlookers than the nationalists,' while the Guardian focuses on police dispersing activists and media rather than onlookers.
Source Articles
Israeli nationalists mark annexation of East Jerusalem
Thousands of Israeli nationalists, including young boys, join crowds chanting death threats towards Palestinians while marching through Jerusalem Old City.
Israeli nationalists chant ‘death to Arabs’ in violent Jerusalem Day march
Far-right Jewish marchers call for Palestinian villages to ‘burn’ as they storm through Muslim quarter of Old City Israeli nationalists chanted “death to the Arabs”, “may your villages burn” and “Gaza is a graveyard” in a state-sponsored march through Jerusalem to mark the anniversary of the city’s capture and annexation. The annual assertion of Jewish control over Palestinian East Jerusalem has grown more extreme in recent years, and Thursday’s event culminated with the national security minist