Inside Israel’s Flag March and the erasure of Palestinians in Jerusalem

Inside Israel’s Flag March and the erasure of Palestinians in Jerusalem Submitted by Jared Hillel on Fri, 05/15/2026 - 09:19 Ultra-nationalist Israelis project dominance and control through Third Temple imagery, racist chants and violence, as Palestinians are forced into invisibility in their own city A man waves an Israeli flag above crowds gathered at the Western Wall, next to Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, during the annual Flag March on 14 May 2026 (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters) Off By midday, the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City in occupied East Jerusalem had largely emptied. "If I don't want to get attacked, I have to close," said Fadi, a 48-year-old shopkeeper, as he pulled a table inside and began lowering his metal shutter. Under normal circumstances, Thursdays are vibrant and bustling in the Old City. But ahead of the annual Flag March by ultra-nationalist Israelis - marking “Jerusalem Day” and deliberately routed through the Muslim Quarter - Palestinian residents and traders were forced to shut up shop, barricade themselves indoors, or leave the area altogether. Even so, groups of far-right settlers, donning their infamous knitted kippahs and long peyot, began marching through the streets hours before official festivities had started.  One group of teenagers walked past a still-open Palestinian store and began hurling insults. This quickly escalated into physical attacks against two shopkeepers, who defended themselves with plastic chairs while “Protective Presence” activists attempted to de-escalate the situation.  The confrontation lasted no more than 30 seconds, but served as an early glimpse of the impunity these boys would be granted o...

Original source: Middle East Eye