Jerusalem: Journalists attacked as Israeli nationalists march in Old City

Thousands of Israeli nationalists person marched into the Muslim 4th of Jerusalem's Old City, with unit directed astatine media covering the event.

The emblem parade is portion of Israel's Jerusalem Day, marking its seizure of the eastbound of the metropolis successful the 1967 war.

A radical of marchers threw stones, sticks and bottles astatine Palestinian and overseas journalists astatine the Damascus Gate entrance.

They besides cheered and chanted racist slogans, including "Death to Arabs".

Far-right Israeli furniture ministers joined the procession. One of them, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, declared: "Jerusalem is ours for ever."

Palestinians on the way successful occupied East Jerusalem earlier shuttered homes and shops implicit fears of abuse.

The march has progressively go a amusement of unit for Jewish ultranationalists, portion for Palestinians it is seen arsenic a blatant provocation undermining their ties to the city.

Racist, anti-Arab chants are often shouted by nationalist marchers. The lawsuit has successful the past sparked overmuch wider violence.

Israeli constabulary vowed to halt law-breaking, but blamed determination "terrorist elements" for "wild incitement" astir the march connected societal media. They besides said it was lone "a tiny number connected some sides [who] effort to agitate".

Palestinian Authority leaders called the East Jerusalem events a "provocative act", saying far-right furniture ministers Mr Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich - staunch supporters of the parade - were "planting seeds of conflict".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the lawsuit would spell up arsenic planned.

Along the way successful the Old City, Samir Abu Sbeih pulled down the shutters of his saccharine shop, saying that constabulary had advised Palestinian businesses to bash truthful by mid-afternoon.

"It's not their onshore to celebrate," helium said of the march. "We unrecorded nether concern and that's wherefore we person to judge it."

Kebab edifice proprietor Basti, who did not privation to springiness his afloat name, said the lawsuit had go "worse" implicit the years.

"People, erstwhile they creation with the flag, sometimes they effort to enactment the emblem successful your face, sometimes they spit connected your face. And this is not nice."

He said constabulary told him helium was not being forced to close, but that if helium kept his concern open, it would beryllium astatine his ain risk.

"For me, I conscionable privation to beryllium inside. I don't similar problems, for some sides," helium said.

Jerusalem Day events person been marked by Israelis for decades, but successful caller years, parts of the way person been the absorption of spiralling tensions.

In the precocious afternoon, tens of thousands of Israelis headed from the westbound of Jerusalem to the Old City, ending with a alleged emblem creation astatine the Western Wall, the holiest tract for Jewish prayer.

Before that, marchers went their abstracted ways and thousands of chiefly men and teenage boys headed into East Jerusalem.

They walked done Damascus Gate, which Israeli forces usually wide of Palestinians successful advance, and past into the Old City's Muslim Quarter.

Previous years person seen groups of marchers chant "death to Arabs" and "may your colony burn", portion others banged the shutters of Palestinian shops.

One of the marchers, Pini, who didn't privation to springiness his surname, said helium had attended for decades to people the time "Jerusalem was reunited and returned to the hands of the Jewish people".

"From 1948 to 1967, we were prevented from accessing the Western Wall," helium said referring to the play that East Jerusalem was nether Jordanian control. "We returned to the Western Wall," helium added.

Asked astir a threatening ambiance for Palestinians, helium said helium opposed immoderate harassment. But, echoing highly arguable comments this twelvemonth from a far-right minister, helium added: "There is nary specified happening arsenic a Palestinian people; erstwhile was Palestine established? Is determination a Palestinian king? Is determination a Palestinian currency?"

Palestinian militant radical Hamas warned Israel this week that it would reignite conflict, were it to transverse "red lines" successful Jerusalem during the event.

On emblem march time successful 2021, the radical fired rockets astatine Jerusalem from the Gaza Strip arsenic a week of boiling tensions exploded into war.

However, this year, with different circular of struggle betwixt Israel and Gaza militants ending lone past weekend, appetite for escalation appeared lower.