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Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Scuffles, insults as Israelis celebrate Jerusalem Day under shadow of Gaza war
Police confront young Israelis marching during an event commemorating the 1967 seizure of east Jerusalem. (AP pic) JERUSALEM : Crowds of Israelis streamed through Jerusalem's Old City, where some scuffled with residents and hurled insults at Palestinians, as annual celebrations of Israel's capture of east Jerusalem took place on Monday. Jerusalem Day, as the celebrations are known, commemorates Israeli forces taking east Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Israel considers all of Jerusalem, including the annexed Palestinian-majority east, its indivisible capital. The international community, however, does not recognise this, and Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Monday visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, to mark the occasion, which was being held for a second year under the shadow of the war in Gaza. 'I ascended to the Temple Mount for Jerusalem Day, and prayed for victory in the war' and the return of hostages held in Gaza, said the national security minister, whose past visits to the site have sparked anger among Palestinians and their supporters. The Al-Aqsa mosque is Islam's third-holiest site and a symbol of Palestinian national identity. The Temple Mount is Judaism's holiest place, though Jews are forbidden from praying there. Every year, thousands of Israeli nationalists, many of them religious Jews, march through Jerusalem and its annexed Old City, including in predominantly Palestinian neighbourhoods, waving Israeli flags, dancing and sometimes accosting residents. 'Our one and only holy city' The route ends at the Western Wall, the last remnant of the Second Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, the holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray. 'After so many years that the people of Israel were not here in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel, we arrived here and conquered Jerusalem, the Temple Mount and the Western Wall,' said 21-year-old Yeshiva student Yosef Azoulai. 'So we celebrate this day in which we won over all our enemies.' Groups of Israeli youths were seen confronting Palestinian shopkeepers, passersby and schoolchildren, as well as Israeli rights activists and police, at times spitting on people, lobbing insults and trying to force their way into houses. Some chanted 'death to Arabs', 'may your village burn' and 'Gaza belongs to us', drawing the occasional uncomfortable look from families making their way to the Western Wall. As evening settled in, large crowds had congregated to celebrate at the holy site. Authorities sometimes order Palestinian shops in the Old City to shut, though business owners this year said they had mostly closed down out of fear of harassment. Outside the Old City, former Knesset member Moshe Feiglin was advertising his far-right political party Identity. 'Every nation and every religion has its capital… but for some reason, all the nations want a part of our one and only holy city,' he said. 'Jerusalem belongs to the Jews and only to the Jews,' he added. This year's Jerusalem Day comes amid renewed calls by some Israeli right-wing figures to annex more Palestinian territory as the war in Gaza rages. On Monday, the Israeli army said three projectiles were launched from Gaza, two falling inside the territory and one intercepted. In 2021, Hamas launched rockets towards Jerusalem as marchers approached the Old City, sparking a 12-day war in Gaza and outbreaks of violence in Israel between Israelis and Palestinians. A 'different kind of Jerusalem' Israel banned the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, from operating in east Jerusalem earlier this year over accusations it provided cover for Hamas militants, and on Monday, a group of Israelis forced their way into one its vacated compounds in the city. 'The group asserted they were 'liberating'' the facility, UNWRA West Bank director Roland Friedrich said on X. 'The group brought flags and erected banners, seeking to claim the compound for the establishment of a new Israeli neighbourhood. Israeli police, alerted to the scene, failed to protect the inviolability of the @UN premises.' The police, who deployed in force, said that over the course of the day 'officers have handled numerous cases of suspects involved in public disturbances'. In the morning, peace activists handed out flowers to challenge what they saw as the main march's divisive message. Orly Likhovski of the Israel Religious Action Center said those taking part in the peace event were 'not willing to accept that this day is marked by violence and racism', adding they hoped to represent 'a Jewish voice for a different kind of Jerusalem'. Some Palestinians accepted the flowers, but one elderly man near Damascus Gate politely refused, saying: 'Do you see what is happening in Gaza? I'm sorry, but I cannot accept.' In a rare move, the Israeli cabinet met nearby in the predominantly Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan, home to an archaeological site known as the City of David – believed to mark the biblical location of Jerusalem. At the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to 'keep Jerusalem united, whole, and under Israeli sovereignty'. Since June 1967, Israeli settlement in the eastern part of the city – considered illegal under international law – has expanded, drawing regular international criticism.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
The way to end the Gaza war has been clear for nearly a year
On Wednesday, the 600th day of the Gaza war, Israel faced an astonishing rebuke, not from its enemies but perhaps its closest Arab friend: The United Arab Emirates summoned the Israeli ambassador in Abu Dhabi to protest 'deplorable and offensive' attacks on Palestinians by extremists in Israel. That's a measure of how isolated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has become — that the country that first embraced the Abraham Accords is publicly signaling that it's fed up. What triggered the UAE diplomatic rebuff was an incident on Monday in which extreme Israeli nationalists chanted slogans and attacked Palestinians in the courtyard of the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The National
5 days ago
- General
- The National
UAE summons Israeli ambassador over 'deplorable' attacks on Palestinians in Jerusalem
The UAE on Wednesday summoned the Israeli ambassador to the country in condemnation of "deplorable and offensive" attacks on Palestinians in Jerusalem this week. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs took action in response to violence in the courtyard of Al Aqsa Mosque and the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem 's Old City as Jerusalem Day festivities were held on Monday. Large crowds of nationalist Israelis chanted insults and assaulted Palestinians during the annual parade. The ministry spoke out over "provocative" practices, which it said served as "dangerous incitement" against Muslims in the area. "The UAE stresses that the continued attacks by Israeli extremists and their incitement to hatred and violence constitute a systematic extremist campaign that not only targets the Palestinian people but the entire international community," the ministry said. It said the attacks threatened to further escalate tension at a time when efforts should be focused on ending the war in the Gaza Strip. "The UAE calls on the Israeli government to assume full responsibility, condemn these hostile acts, hold perpetrators accountable without exception to ministers and officials, and take urgent steps to prevent the exploitation of Jerusalem for agendas of violence, extremism and incitement," the ministry added. "The UAE reiterates that failure to act will be seen as tacit approval that will only further deepen the cycle of hatred, racism and instability." The ministry emphasised the need to respect Jordan's custodial role over the holy sites in accordance with international law and warned against undermining the authority of the Jerusalem Endowment Administration, that manages the affairs of Al Aqsa Mosque, Qubbat Al Sakhrah and the surrounding courtyards. East Jerusalem is recognised as Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory under international law. Jerusalem Day celebrates Israel's capture of the city in 1967, when Arab forces were defeated in the eastern part. Israel then declared Jerusalem as its undivided capital, a move most of the international community rejects.
Reuters
5 days ago
- General
- Reuters
UAE summons Israeli ambassador over Jerusalem rally 'violations'
DUBAI, May 28 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates summoned Israel's ambassador to the country to express its condemnation of "provocative practices by Israeli extremists" during a rally in Jerusalem earlier this week, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday. On Monday, a large rally in Jerusalem marking Israel's capture of the city's east in the 1967 war descended into chaos as far-right Israeli Jews confronted and assaulted Palestinians, fellow Israelis and journalists, witnesses said. The annual "Flag March" drew tens of thousands of people, who chanted, danced and waved Israeli flags after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, a flashpoint of Israeli-Palestinian tensions. WAM said the UAE condemned "the deplorable and offensive violations against the Palestinian people that took place in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque". It said the Gulf state had urged the Israeli government "to assume full responsibility, condemn these hostile acts, hold perpetrators accountable without exception to ministers and officials". The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The UAE is one of the few Arab countries that have normalised relations with Israel, under the Abraham Accords.
Khaleej Times
5 days ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
UAE summons Israeli ambassador, condemns violations against Palestinians at Al Aqsa Mosque
The UAE summoned the Israeli ambassador to the UAE on Wednesday to express the nation's strong condemnation of what it described as 'shameful and offensive violations' against Palestinians in the courtyards of Al Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. In an official statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the arbitrary practices as a 'serious provocation and incitement against Muslims,' calling them a flagrant breach of the sanctity of the Holy City. The UAE reiterated its firm stance against actions that threaten religious harmony and international peace. MoFAIC condemned repeated attacks by Israeli extremists, warning that these actions — coupled with incitement to hatred and violence — represent a systematic campaign not only against the Palestinian people but also the broader international community. The Ministry cautioned that such provocations risk exacerbating tensions at a time when the priority should be ending the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The UAE called on the Israeli government to take full responsibility for the incidents, hold perpetrators accountable—including public officials—and urgently halt the exploitation of Jerusalem for agendas rooted in violence and extremism. The Ministry warned that failure to act would be seen as tacit approval, potentially fueling further hatred, racism, and regional instability. The Ministry also reaffirmed the UAE's support for the role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in overseeing Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, urging respect for international law and the long-standing historical status quo. It stressed the need to avoid infringing upon the authority of the Jerusalem Endowments Administration, which manages Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, and surrounding areas. Reiterating its categorical rejection of any actions that contravene international resolutions, the UAE emphasised the importance of safeguarding religious sites and upholding Jerusalem's status as a symbol of coexistence and peace.
