Thousands of Israeli nationalists marched through Jerusalem’s Muslim Quarter on Thursday under heavy security, with some calling for the death of Arabs and for Palestinian villages to be burned during an annual march marking Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem in 1967.
As Israelis paraded through the Muslim Quarter, home to thousands of Palestinians, some 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.
“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.
Israeli authorities deployed thousands of police officers, some in riot gear, across Jerusalem, including at Damascus Gate, the main entrance to the historic Muslim Quarter.
Police erected barricades around the Damascus Gate area, preventing Palestinians who do not live in the Old City from entering.
The parade route begins in West Jerusalem and ends at the Western Wall, a remnant of an ancient retaining structure revered by Jews as part of the Temple Mount, the site of two ancient Jewish temples.
Muslims refer to the area as Al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, a compound regarded as the third holiest site in Islam.
Under a delicate decades-old arrangement with Muslim authorities, the compound is administered by a Jordanian religious foundation. Jews are permitted to visit the site but may not pray there. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has sought to allow Jewish prayer at the site.
“The Temple Mount is in our hands, the Temple Mount is ours,” one marcher said.
Palestinians view the Jerusalem Day procession as part of a broader campaign to strengthen Jewish presence across the city at their expense.
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U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 4th of September, covering the latest developments.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
A unique architectural monument dating back to the 9th to 12th centuries has been discovered in the village of Gargara, in the Korez village commune in Dangara district in Tajikistan.
Japan and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime have launched a $9.4 million, two-year project across five Afghan provinces to help former poppy-growing families and expand drug prevention and treatment services.
For centuries, Lahore has been shaped by the people, cultures and empires that passed through it. Now, the Pakistani city is preparing to put that rich history before a wider regional audience.
Israel is ready to move Palestinians from Gaza as soon as the U.S. approves, the country’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has said. He told a conference hosted by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday that there was “no real solution” for Gaza without migration.
Flights between Central Asia and Russia have faced widespread disruption, with aircraft diverted, turned back or cancelled amid restrictions in Russian airspace and conflicting claims from Moscow and Kyiv over aviation safety.
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