The flag march, held in Israel’s capital for over 30 years, is one of the central features of the Jerusalem Day celebration.
Israelis have an obvious right to march with an Israeli flag in the nation’s capital of Jerusalem, which will remain united and Jewish hands for eternity, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday.
“Flying the Israeli flag in the capital of Israel is self-evident; therefore, we have been crystal clear on the subject from the outset,” Bennett told his ministers at their weekly meeting.
He spoke as Israel’s right to hold a flag march in its capital of Jerusalem has been contested by Palestinians with Hamas threatening rocket attacks and some in the international community condemning it as a provocative move.
The flag march, held in Israel’s capital for over 30 years, is one of the central features of the Jerusalem Day celebration that the anniversary of Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War in 1967, which included capturing the eastern part of the city from Jordan.
Marchers flooded the city with flags, both unofficially late Saturday night and from early Sunday morning. Far-right activists who joined the festivities yelled ethnic slurs at Palestinians such as “Shuafat is on fire,” “Death to Arabs,” “Mohammed is dead” and “the village is burning.”
A number of activists were seen on video tearing and spitting on a Palestinian flag by Jerusalem’s Damascus gate. At one point during the day, a drone flew over that gate with a Palestinian flag.
Violent clashes also broke out between marchers and Palestinians as well as marchers and police.
Earlier in the day, Bennett spoke of the importance of the unity of Jerusalem.
“On this day we pledge: Jerusalem will never be divided again, the people of Israel will never be divided again,” he emphasized.