Al-Quds, MINA – Thousands of Israelis took part in the Flag Parade in Al-Quds East Jerusalem on Thursday. The highly controversial annual event features racist “death to Arabs” chants and attacks Palestinian residents.
The ugly act occurred while participants were walking through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter, The Times of Israel reported.
However, the rally was successfully concluded without major incident. Two years ago, Hamas fired a barrage of rockets into Jerusalem to coincide with the marches, which led to an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza.
The annual parade to the Western Wall was meant to mark Israel’s reunification of East and West Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War, but has become infamous for being frequently marred by hate speech and violence by right-wing Jewish participants against Palestinians and their property.
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A special aspect of the Flag March is its route through the Damascus Gate and the Muslim Quarter, which is heavily used by Palestinians. Critics said the demonstrations were designed to provoke Palestinians, who were forced by Israeli police to close their shops to allow the demonstrations.
Previously, the US administration urged Israel to change the route of the march away from the Muslim Quarter. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned it down, following in the footsteps of his predecessor. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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