Key facts
- Video shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nodding as yeshiva students chant an anti-Palestinian song.
- The song included the phrase "May their name be erased!"
- Thousands of Israeli nationalists marched through the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem's Old City.
- The annual march is often characterized by racist chants and violence.
- Palestinian residents and businesses were largely absent from the Old City during the march.
- Videos documented instances of harassment and violence against Palestinians during the event.
Footage circulating on social media shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nodding while yeshiva students chanted a song that calls for revenge and the erasure of Palestinians, including the phrase "May their name be erased!".
Thousands of Israeli nationalists marched through the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem's Old City on Thursday during an annual Jerusalem Day march. The event, which celebrates Israel's capture and annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967, is often marked by racist chants and violence.
Many Palestinian residents and shopkeepers in the Old City had closed their businesses and remained indoors during the march. Videos documented instances of harassment, with youths hurling plastic chairs at a Palestinian shopkeeper while chanting "Arab sons of whores." Chants of "Death to Arabs" and "May your villages burn" were also heard.
Activists from the Israeli-Palestinian grassroots movement Standing Together were present to shield Palestinian residents and businesses. Ilan Perez, a 52-year-old tech industry worker, stated he wanted to "show my sympathy and love with flowers" and express solidarity with the local community. Rula Daoud, co-director of Standing Together, noted the march has become more violent, particularly after the October 7 attacks, and accused police of not intervening.