### Tensions Flare During Jerusalem Day March

In Jerusalem's Old City, tensions ran high as groups of young Israeli Jews marched through Muslim neighborhoods, chanting hostile slogans like "Death to Arabs" and "May your village burn." The march, marking Israel's capture of eastern Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, saw Palestinian shopkeepers closing their businesses early as police lined the alleys to prepare for the often rowdy and sometimes violent procession.

The event, commemorating Jerusalem Day, threatens to further inflame long-standing tensions in the city, which is central to both Israeli and Palestinian national and religious identities. Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while Palestinians envision East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. This ongoing conflict frequently turns Jerusalem into a flashpoint.

In previous years, the march has led to violence, such as attacks on Palestinian journalists and calls for aggression against Palestinians. In this year's procession, young ultranationalist Jews from outside Jerusalem, including settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, were brought in by tour buses to participate. Security forces, using what they termed the "Dance of Flags," detained several individuals to prevent violence and confrontations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed his commitment to a unified Jerusalem during a speech in an archaeological park located in a Palestinian neighborhood of East Jerusalem. He highlighted the government's efforts to gain international recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and noted investments worth billions of shekels in the city's development.

The day's events included an incursion by protesters, among them an Israeli member of parliament, into a compound in East Jerusalem belonging to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. They called for the site to be converted into an Israeli settlement, echoing earlier comments from Israel's housing minister.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who visited the contested holy site where the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock stand, suggested a shift in long-standing policies by claiming, "Today, thank God, it is possible to pray on the Temple Mount." Since 1967, an understanding has traditionally allowed Jewish visits to the site but barred them from praying there.

For many Israelis, Jerusalem Day is a celebration of historical significance, marking the unification of the city and restored access to the Western Wall. However, the march has increasingly become dominated by young nationalist and religious Israelis, deepening divisions in the city.