JERUSALEM: Thousands of Israeli nationalists will march on Thursday through the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s walled Old City under heavy security, in an annual event marking Israel’s capture of the city’s east in a war nearly six decades ago.
The parade, the main celebration of Jerusalem Day, has become a show of force for Jewish nationalists but is seen by Palestinians as a blatant provocation aimed at undermining their ties to the city.
“Jerusalem is our holy city. It is our holy city forever,” said Shira Gefen, a 53-year-old Israeli who traveled to Jerusalem from her home near Haifa for the event.
Israeli authorities deployed thousands of police officers, some in riot gear, in Jerusalem, including at Damascus Gate, the main gateway to the Old City’s historic Muslim quarter.
The police threw up barricades around the Damascus Gate area, preventing Palestinians who do not live in the Old City from entering. Palestinian shopkeepers in the Old City said they were forced to close ahead of the parade.
