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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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leaders gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Iran has reached an understanding with Oman on transit arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz, but the waterway will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils its commitments, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Saturday.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
Russia views NATO’s growing military activity in the Arctic as a direct threat to its national security, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
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The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has ruled that India remains bound by the Indus Waters Treaty and must continue to comply with its obligations under the decades-old water-sharing agreement with Pakistan, despite New Delhi's decision last year to place the treaty "in abeyance".
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leaders gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Qatar has discussed potential investment in Afghanistan’s oil and gas sectors and the construction of a crude oil refinery, during talks in Kabul as Gulf businesses show growing interest in the Afghan market.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has marked the 104th anniversary of Victory Day, honouring the decisive military victory that helped pave the way for the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye.
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