Tensions Escalate in Jerusalem as Controversial Flag March Sparks Outcry

 Jerusalem – May 27, 2025 Thousands of Israelis took part in the annual state-sponsored Flag March through Jerusalem’s Old City on Monday, an event marked by widespread nationalist chants, confrontations, and heightened tensions in the predominantly Palestinian Muslim Quarter.

The march, organized to commemorate Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem during the 1967 war—a takeover not recognized under international law—is funded and promoted by the Jerusalem municipality, which characterizes it as a “festive procession” celebrating the “liberation” of the city. However, for many Palestinians and observers, it remains a symbol of occupation and exclusion.

Despite being billed as a celebration, the event was once again marred by inflammatory slogans and aggressive behavior. Participants in the procession were heard chanting “Death to Arabs,” “Gaza is ours,” “May their villages burn,” and “Mohammed is dead.” A banner carried by one group read “Jerusalem 1967, Gaza 2025,” implying intentions of future military expansion into the Gaza Strip. Another displayed the phrase “Without a Nakba there is no victory,” referencing the 1948 displacement of approximately 700,000 Palestinians.

The situation in the Old City became increasingly volatile by midday, with reports of harassment and vandalism targeting Palestinian residents and businesses. Eyewitnesses described young men in religious Zionist attire spitting at women in hijabs, stealing from local cafes, ransacking a bookstore, and entering at least one residence uninvited.

“Shut now, or I can’t protect you,” one police officer reportedly told café owner Raymond Himo, after teenagers were seen stealing beverages from his establishment. Many Palestinian-owned businesses closed hours earlier than usual, with residents remaining indoors amid concerns for their safety.

Activist group Ir Amim, which advocates for a shared and equitable Jerusalem, condemned the disruption. Researcher Aviv Tatarsky said the march “deprives people of their economic livelihood and makes them feel unsafe. Symbolically, it sends a message: ‘You don’t belong here. We own this place.’”

The event is coordinated by the organization Am K’Lavi, which exists solely to organize the march. The group is chaired by Baruch Kahane, son of the late Meir Kahane—a far-right figure and founder of the now-banned Kach party. Some participants wore shirts featuring the party’s emblem, while others were part of school-organized delegations.

Despite the history of violence associated with the Flag March, there was a notably light police presence within the Old City. According to local observers, law enforcement often stood by while attacks on Palestinians occurred. Volunteers from Standing Together, a Jewish-Arab solidarity movement, formed human shields to de-escalate confrontations, identifiable only by their purple vests.

Adding to the controversy, Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir joined the event, having earlier visited the al-Aqsa mosque compound—a move seen by many as a provocation, especially since Israeli law prohibits Jewish prayer at the site. Simultaneously, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a cabinet meeting in Silwan, a contested Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

Israeli media reported that the Shin Bet security agency had advised against the location of the meeting, citing concerns it could inflame tensions further. However, the Prime Minister proceeded nonetheless.

Legal expert Danny Seidemann, an authority on Jerusalem’s geopolitics, described the decision as a calculated provocation. “The past is being weaponized by biblically motivated settlers to displace Palestinians, demolish their homes, and recreate a vision of a renewed pseudo-ancient Israel,” Seidemann stated. “This site—arguably the most contested and volatile in Jerusalem—is where Netanyahu has decided to ‘celebrate’.”

The march has long been criticized for exacerbating divisions in the city and has previously sparked broader escalations, including the 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in 2021. This year’s procession once again highlighted the fragile and combustible nature of Jerusalem’s status and the growing polarization surrounding its future.