A group of young Israeli settlers corners an ultra-Orthodox Jew on one of the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem: “traitor, coward, you are a disgrace to this country,” spits a teenager, dressed in loose clothing and the characteristic tzitzit, the four cords tied at the waist traditional to Jewish religious attire. The crime of his compatriot is wearing one of the purple vests of the Standing Together association, dedicated to the peaceful protection of Palestinians against settler attacks in the West Bank.
Hundreds of incidents like this have marked Jerusalem Day for several years, when tens of thousands of Israelis come by bus to the heart of the holy city and march to the Western Wall dancing with flags. For Israel, this day commemorates the complete capture of the enclave during the Six-Day War in 1967. Palestinians, on the other hand, mark this date on the calendar as the moment the occupation of East Jerusalem began, a process that has not stopped to this day.
For this reason, Shahd has decided to spend the day away from her home, located within the walls. “It’s dangerous. All the shops have closed in the Palestinian part of the city, for fear of the settlers,” she explains. Last year, she recounts, a group forced open the door of her home “for fun.” “They sat in my living room and spent the day there. (…) There’s nothing we can do, the police won’t do anything to them.”
Speak Now spokesperson Ori Shaham explained to La Vanguardia the dangers of this historically conflictive day. “Every year, many extremists and violent settlers come here to participate in the Flag March. They do so in an extremely racist and violent manner, often chanting ‘death to the Arabs’ or ‘burn your village,’ attacking merchants and families.”
This group of Israeli activists stands between the local Arabs and the settlers. “As Israelis and as Jews, we have certain privileges and it is less likely that we will be attacked. So, when we put our bodies on the front line and document what happens, we help reduce the violence,” he explains. In that sense, they act in place of the authorities who “often decide to look the other way.”
But they and the press are also targets of the extremists. After midday, soldiers push out journalists and anyone not participating in the march. At the exit of the emblematic Damascus Gate, another group waits, ready to spit and shout at anyone carrying accreditation.
According to many attendees of the Flag March, Jerusalem should become a completely Jewish city. The Israeli organization Bimkom denounces that the new urban projects promoted by Israel in East Jerusalem seek to accelerate the expansion of Jewish settlements.
According to data collected by the organization, the Palestinian population represents about 40% of Jerusalem’s residents but only has 26% of the existing housing in the city. In 2025, barely 640 homes were approved for Palestinians compared to nearly 9,000 intended for the Jewish population, including thousands of units built beyond the Green Line, the invisible border that has marked Palestinians and Israelis for almost six decades.
“This place was promised to us by God,” argues one of the few settlers willing to make statements. “The Arabs have to leave, that’s what the Torah says,” he repeats. Next to him passes a Palestinian woman, with her child in her arms, hurried to leave a place increasingly difficult to call home.
