The annual Israeli "Flag March," marking the 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem, turned violent on May 26 as far-right settlers and ultranationalists assaulted Palestinians, journalists, and left-wing activists. Witnesses reported young marchers—many from illegal West Bank settlements—spitting on Palestinian women, ransacking shops, and chanting “Death to Arabs” while Israeli police largely stood by.
A Palestinian café owner was told by an officer, “Shut now, or I can’t protect you,” as settlers stole from his business.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir escalated tensions earlier in the day by storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam’s third holiest site. He declared, “Today, thank God, it is already possible to pray on the Temple Mount,” violating a decades-old agreement restricting Jewish prayer at the site. The Jordanian-administered Waqf condemned the incursion, calling it a “provocative act” aimed at asserting Israeli dominance.
The march, funded by Jerusalem’s municipality, saw banners reading “Jerusalem 1967, Gaza 2025,” signaling threats to annex Gaza, mirroring East Jerusalem’s occupation. Settlers also mocked Palestinian suffering, altering ATM signs to read, “Owned by a Jew, please do not harm”. Organizers included descendants of the banned Kach party, a designated terrorist group, with marchers wearing shirts bearing its clenched-fist symbol.
Palestinian officials condemned the march as part of Israel’s “systematic policy to erase Palestinian existence”. Left-wing Israeli activists formed human shields to protect Palestinians, while opposition leader Yair Golan denounced the violence as “hatred and racism”. The Palestinian Presidency warned such acts threaten regional stability, citing ongoing Gaza genocide and Al-Aqsa incursions.