What is Jerusalem Day and the March of Flags?

What is Jerusalem Day and the March of Flags? Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Mon, 05/11/2026 - 15:19 The event has become a focus for settlers and ultra-nationalist Israelis in the Old City, with increasing attacks on Palestinians An Israeli right-wing activist wears the flag of the city of Jerusalem outside the Damascus Gate during Jerusalem Day on 26 May 2025 (AFP) Off This week, Israelis will commemorate Jerusalem Day, a national holiday marking the occupation of East Jerusalem by Israeli forces after the 1967 war. The festival begins at sunset on Thursday, 14 May and ends at nightfall on 15 May. During the holiday and in the days leading up to it, Israelis commemorate soldiers who died during the battle for Jerusalem, which they say led to the reunification of the city under Israeli control. However, the event has also been criticised as a rallying point for ultra-nationalist Israelis and attacks on Palestinians . According to the website of the Knesset , Israel's parliament, Jerusalem Day (or Yom Yerushalayim in Hebrew) has been celebrated since 1968, when lawmakers decided to commemorate the occupation of the Palestinian neighbourhoods in the city. Immediately after the 1967 war, Israel annexed the parts of Jerusalem it had occupied and granted Palestinians inhabitants residency, allowing them to vote in municipal elections but not national ones. Today, an estimated 350,000 Palestinians live in Jerusalem. Most are not Israeli citizens and cannot elect representatives to the Knesset.  Jerusalem Day was enshrined as a national holiday by the Knesset in 1998, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed it into law during his first tenure. This year, the Jerusalem Municipality ha...

Original source: Middle East Eye