An estimated 70,000 Israeli nationalists rampaged through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem Sunday, chanting racist slogans and assaulting Palestinians, as Israeli security forces largely declined to intervene and reportedly detained dozens of Palestinians who protested or flew Palestinian flags.
At leaast 163 Palestinians were injured in the West Bank, the Palestinian Red Crescent reportedly said Sunday. Viral photos and videos from the annual Israeli ‘Flag march’ showed Israeli youth engaging in a variety of extremely provocative actions like kicking and pepper-spraying an elderly Palestinian woman.
Other footage showed Israelis screaming racist slogans like “death to Arabs” and “Mohammed is dead” and taunting Palestinian journalists over the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, who–according to a number of independent investigations – was intentionally murdered by Israeli security forces earlier this month.
More footage captured Israeli security forces looking on as Israeli men beat Palestinian women with batons and attempted to steal their bags.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh denounced the “attacks on Palestinian citizens in the occupied city of Jerusalem”, Wafa news agency reported, and a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel is “playing with fire irresponsibly and recklessly” by condoning the march.
One Hamas spokesman said the group holds the Israeli government “fully responsible” and another promised Palestinians “will continue their resistance in defense of Jerusalem until the last soldier and settler is swept off… every inch of our occupied land.”