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JERUSALEM DAY FLAG MARCH REACHED A NEW LOW: MOCKING THE DEAD CHILDREN
OF GAZA
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Nir Hasson
May 27, 2025
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_ The annual pogrom in Jerusalem's Old City included assaults on
Palestinians, property destruction, and racist chants. Even when
police intervened for a change, the incitement was met with silence _
The Flag March passes through Jerusalem's Old City, yesterday. It
wasn't a fringe few singing the racist songs, it was the majority,
Credit: Olivier Fitoussi
On Hagai Street, the main artery of the Muslim Quarter in Jerusalem's
Old City, several Jewish-owned shops have opened in recent years, with
ATMs installed at their entrances. On Monday afternoon, someone
affixed altered signs to these ATMs that read: "BS"D (With God's
help), owned by a Jew, please do not harm."
The person who prepared these signs knew what they were doing: Every
year on this day, tens of thousands of youths from the religious
Zionist movement march through this street as part of the Flag March,
which marks Jerusalem Day – commemorating Israel's capture of East
Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War.
On Hagai Street, the main artery of the Muslim Quarter in Jerusalem's
Old City, several Jewish-owned shops have opened in recent years, with
ATMs installed at their entrances. On Monday afternoon, someone
affixed altered signs to these ATMs that read: "BS"D (With God's
help), owned by a Jew, please do not harm."
The person who prepared these signs knew what they were doing: Every
year on this day, tens of thousands of youths from the religious
Zionist movement march through this street as part of the Flag March,
which marks Jerusalem Day – commemorating Israel's capture of East
Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War.
In recent years, this already racist and violent event has effectively
become a state-sanctioned invitation for extremist groups. These
include the so-called "hilltop youth
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(radical settlers from illegal outposts), the far-right soccer fan
club La Familia
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marginalized youth. They tend to arrive hours before the official
march to carry out a pogrom of their own in the Old City.
This year was no different. These groups attacked Palestinian shops
and passersby, as well as journalists and anyone they identified as
"leftists." Activists from organizations like Standing Together,
Looking the Occupation in the Eye, and Ir Amim, who came to try to
protect Palestinians and their property, became easy targets. Many
were spat on, cursed, or physically assaulted. In most cases, police
chose to remove the activists rather than the rioters.
When the number of rioters grew and the situation threatened to spiral
completely out of control, a Border Police officer managing the scene
decided to act. For the first time since I can remember, police used
batons to push back the rioters. One youth was arrested with
considerable force. This rare show of aggression temporarily calmed
the situation, but it was the exception that proved the rule. Once
again, despite police promises to crack down on violence and racism,
the authorities showed remarkable tolerance.
While National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir
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the Old City under heavy police protection, dozens of youths around
him shouted "Death to Arabs." Not one was arrested for incitement. On
Jerusalem Day, incitement laws are effectively suspended.
The repertoire of racist songs shifted slightly this year. The
dominant chants remained the familiar ones: "May your village burn,"
"Muhammad is dead," and "Avenge but one of my two eyes of Palestine,
damn them" (a phrase that literally means "May their name and memory
be erased," with the final words shouted while flagpoles slammed
against metal doors). But new songs were added to the mix, including:
"There's no school in Gaza, there's no children left," "Let the IDF
fuck the Arabs," and "Flatten Gaza."
Contrary to claims from religious-nationalist leaders, this hate is
not the work of a small fringe. The true minority is composed of those
who stick to songs of faith and Jerusalem. Once again this year, I
struggled to find any group that refrained from racist chants. Im
Tirtzu (IMTI)
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an organization affiliated with the Likud party rather than the
far-right Otzma Yehudit, proudly displayed a giant banner at the
entrance to the Old City reading "No Nakba, No Victory."
These words also appeared on marchers' T-shirts. It's worth noting
that all of this was funded by the Jerusalem Municipality, which
allocated 700,000 shekels –without a public tender – to the
organization behind the march.
This is the 17th year I've covered the Flag March. Last year I wrote
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"The Flag March on Jerusalem Day is an accurate thermometer of the
condition of Israeli society. It measures the levels of hatred, racism
and violence in the religious Zionist society and the tolerance of the
police and the rest of society to these traits. This year's diagnosis
is terminal." Unfortunately, I was not mistaken.
In the year since, Israeli society has plummeted further into
darkness, enabling the mass killing of tens of thousands of innocents
in Gaza, including thousands of children. Just two nights ago, the
IDF bombed the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school
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In the photographs, a small girl is seen walking through flames; the
charred bodies of children are being removed from the wreckage.
Thirty-one people were killed there.
There is a straight line that connects the crude racism, violence, and
cruelty unleashed every Jerusalem Day with the horrors unfolding in
Gaza. This year, again, the prognosis is very bleak.
_More stories
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