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Dozens of people were injured after clashes between Israelis and Palestinians took place in the Old City of Jerusalem as part of the celebrations of Jerusalem Day, a holiday taken by Jewish ultra-nationalists that commemorates the capture of the East of the city by of Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967.
Once again, the so-called Jerusalem Day has been marked by violence, provocations and clashes between ultra-nationalist Israelis and the Palestinian population. This holiday is used by groups of the Israeli extreme right to celebrate the taking of East Jerusalem by Israel after the Six-Day War of 1967. A celebration that for Palestinians is an offense and provocation.
During the day, thousands of people walked through the center of the Old City with Israeli flags and Stars of David while chanting nationalist slogans and provocations against Muslims and Palestinians. Among the chants were phrases like “death to Muslims.”
Traditionally, this march has been a source of constant confrontation between hundreds of people, as it crosses neighborhoods with a Palestinian majority and unfolds at points as iconic as the Damascus gate. This year they even entered the Esplanade of the Mosques, a holy place for Muslims where Jewish prayer is not allowed.
Since the beginning of the celebrations, Israel deployed a strong police force, which it used early to charge against the Palestinians despite the fact that the streets where the altercations took place are normally occupied by this people. In total, it is estimated that some 20 Palestinians were injured, some by firearms, although the number may increase as the hours go by.
Before the march, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that “flying the Israeli flag in Israel’s capital is a no-brainer,” but also urged participants to celebrate in a “responsible and respectful manner.”
Although Jerusalem is considered internationally – except by the United States – as a neutral city, Israel claims that it is its “true capital”. This issue is one of the points of greatest conflict between the Government of this country and the Palestinian authority. Israel has also occupied the eastern part of the city -originally belonging to Palestine- since 1967.
Bennett later issued a statement instructing police to show “zero tolerance” toward racist groups. He described them as a “minority who came to set the area on fire” and vowed to prosecute violent extremists, a step few Israeli governments have taken in the past. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called the racist groups “a disgrace.”
In the midst of the altercations between the different groups, the attack on a journalist from the France 24 Arabic channel named Laila Odeh was also recorded. Odeh denounced that Israeli ultra-nationalists threw bottles at her and insulted her.
The march occurs at a time of great tension
The march came at a time when tensions between Israelis and Palestinians are at one of the highest points in recent years. In recent weeks, Palestinian attacks on Israelis – considered by the authorities as terrorist attacks – and police repression of Palestinians have multiplied.
In recent months, Israeli police have repeatedly clashed with Palestinian protesters who are throwing stones at the disputed compound, often firing rubber bullets and stun grenades.
At the same time, some 19 Israelis have been killed by Palestinian attackers in Israel and the occupied West Bank in recent weeks, while more than 35 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank.
In addition, the background of last year also raises fears of a possible escalation. During 2021 a multi-day war took place between the Hamas party and the Israeli military forces in the Gaza Strip. This confrontation produced a total of 260 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.
All this happened without the violent and prolonged context that is being experienced now, so there is the fear that if the war issue flares up it will be much worse.
With Reuters, EFE and AP
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