Thousands of Israeli nationalists marched on Thursday (May 14, 2026) 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.
Palestinian residents, many of whom barricaded themselves inside their homes in the Old City, view the Jerusalem Day parade as a provocation to undermine their ties to the city.
As Israelis marched through the Muslim quarter that is home to thousands of Palestinians, some of the demonstrators, mostly young men, chanted “May your villages burn” and “Death to Arabs” while waving Israeli flags.
Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, a move that the United Nations and most countries have not recognised.
“Jerusalem is our holy city. It is our holy city forever,” said Shira Gefen, a 53-year-old Israeli who travelled to Jerusalem from her home near Haifa for the rally. “We are very happy and excited to be here. This is the heart of the world and the heart of all Jewish people,” said George, a 65-year-old Israeli who lives near Ashkelon in the country’s south. He declined to give his last name.
