Jerusalem Day Flag March: Tens of Thousands March Through Muslim Quarter Chanting 'Death to Arabs'; 13 Arrested

On May 15, 2026 — Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) — tens of thousands of ultranationalist Israeli youth marched through the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City in the annual Flag March. Participants chanted 'Death to Arabs,' 'May your village burn,' and 'Mohammed is dead.' National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the Al-Aqsa compound during the day's festivities, brandishing an Israeli flag and declaring 'The Temple Mount is in our hands.' Palestinian shopkeepers shuttered their stores as ordered by march organizers; residents were barred from entering the Old City. Israeli police arrested 13 individuals. Extremist mobs spat on and assaulted journalists, while marchers chanted racist songs throughout the procession. Jewish-Arab peace coalition Standing Together organized counter-protests. Jordan's Foreign Ministry issued a renewed condemnation. The Flag March, which routes participants deliberately through the predominantly Palestinian Muslim Quarter, is held annually to mark Israel's 1967 reunification of Jerusalem — a development Palestinians and most of the international community view as illegal occupation of East Jerusalem. In 2021, tensions over the march directly preceded the outbreak of Operation Guardian of the Walls. Palestinian human rights organizations documented numerous assaults, verbal abuse incidents, and forced shop closures along the march route.