Sawt Falasteen - Israel marks second 'Jerusalem Day' under shadow of Gaza war

Jerusalem Day, or "Yom Yerushalayim" in Hebrew, commemorates what Israel considers the reunification of the city under its authority in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Every year, thousands of Israeli nationalists, many of them religious Jews, march through the streets of Jerusalem and its annexed Old City, including in predominantly Arab neighbourhoods, waving Israeli flags, dancing and sometimes shouting inflammatory slogans.

The route will ultimately take them to the Western Wall -- the last remnant of the Second Temple, destroyed in the year 70 by the Romans and the most sacred place where Jews are allowed to pray.

Jerusalem Day events began the evening before, as is common with Jewish holidays, with a crowd unfurling a massive Israeli flag on Sunday in the plaza facing the Western Wall.

Local authorities sometimes compel Palestinian businesses within the Old City to close for the march, which many Palestinians consider a deliberate provocation.

Palestinians claim the city's eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

It is the second time the event is being held since the start of the war in Gaza.

Skirmishes are common during the event, especially in the streets of the Old City, where some marchers have been known to chant racist slogans.

It is the second time the event is being held since the start of the war in Gaza.

Last year, two journalists, including a Palestinian photographer, were assaulted by teenagers participating in the march.

In 2021, Hamas fired a barrage of rockets towards Jerusalem as the march began heading towards the Old City, sparking a 12-day war with Israel, as well as outbreaks of violence in Israel between Jews and Arabs.

Monday's march will take place for a second consecutive year against the backdrop of Israel's current war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, sparked by the group's October 7, 2023 attack.

The war has revived talk among right-wing figures in Israel about annexing Palestinian territory.

- Police out in force -

The police said on Sunday that they were deploying "thousands" of officers across the city to "ensure the security and safety of the public".

In a unique wrinkle to this year's observances, the Israeli cabinet is set to meet nearby on the outskirts of the Old City on Monday in the predominantly Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.

Silwan houses an important archaeological site known as the City of David, considered the location of the ancient city of Jerusalem during the time of the biblical ruler.

Since June 1967, Israeli settlement in the eastern part of the city -- considered illegal under international law -- has expanded, drawing regular international criticism.

Israel considers Jerusalem its indivisible capital, though the international community does not recognise this.

During his first term, however, President Donald Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem after declaring the city Israel's capital.

On Sunday evening, his ambassador to the country, Mike Huckabee, and visiting US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem briefly attended the commemorations at the Western Wall.

O.Farraj--SF-PST