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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Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry says 19 citizens have been repatriated following a deadly drone attack on two cargo ships in the Sea of Azov on 5 June.
The Pakistani city of Karachi is struggling under severe heat and humidity as the country enters a prolonged heatwave period. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of above-normal temperatures across much of the country between 7 and 12 June.
Ukraine's military said it struck a Russian "shadow fleet" tanker in the Black Sea as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt Moscow's energy and logistics networks. The move underscores Kyiv's focus on targeting maritime assets it says are used to bypass sanctions on Russian oil exports.
U.S. forces say they have completed strikes on Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile attacks on an American base in Jordan, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides.
Russia has once again offered warm words to Tbilisi, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova praising Georgia's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and saying Moscow is ready to deepen ties.
Azerbaijan dispatched 17 railway wagons carrying 984 tonnes of diesel fuel to Armenia on Thursday, marking the latest shipment in growing trade between the two countries.
The U.S. is deepening engagement with Central Asia on critical minerals as global competition for strategic resources intensifies. The issue dominated talks in Astana between Washington and the five Central Asian states.
Israel's cabinet is expected to approve a plan on Thursday (11 June) to allocate around one billion shekels ($338 million) for settlement development in the West Bank, according to reports and anti-settlement campaigners.
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