At Jerusalem Flag March, chants of ‘Death to Arabs’ and assaults on Palestinians

Thousands of Israelis took part in the Jerusalem Flag March on Thursday, with the highly controversial annual event again featuring racist chants and scuffles with Palestinian residents as the largely teenage, religious nationalist participants made their way through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter.

But despite several dozen instances of violence and harassment by Jewish participants, and pre-march threats by Gaza terror groups, the rally managed to conclude without a major incident. Two years ago, Hamas fired a barrage of rockets at Jerusalem to coincide with the march, leading to an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza.

The annual parade to the Western Wall is meant to mark Israel’s reunification of East and West Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War, but has gained notoriety over the years as it is often marred by hate speech and violence by far-right Jewish participants toward Palestinians and their property. READ MORE