Far-right Israeli settlers chant 'Death to Arabs' and 'may your villages burn' on Jerusalem Day celebration march

Ultranationalist jews chanted slogans ‘Death to Arabs' and ‘may your villages burn’ on May 26 as they passed through the Palestinian area with the Jerusalem Day march. Jerusalem Day celebration marks the capture of East Jerusalem after the 1967 Mideast war. It is an Israeli holiday celebrated with marches displaying Jewish pride, accompanied by Palestinian humiliation.

The marches often become chaotic and with instances of flare-ups with Palestinians. Israeli Security Minister Ben Gvir went inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the three holiest sites of Islam, also known as the Temple Mount to Jews. In a speech, he said that ‘terrorists’ will face the death penalty.

Jewish also have strong ties with Temple mount, it was the location of the First and Second Biblical Temple. However, they are not usually allowed to pray in Temple mount only Christian and Muslims are allowed to pray there.

“Today, thank God, it is possible to pray on the Temple Mount, to bow down on the Temple Mount — we thank God for that” said Ben Gvir.

A group of Israeli ultra-nationalist youth shouted, “This is our home, this is our state,” “Go away from here!” There were also instances of vandalism of Palestinan shops and harrasment with Palestinan women calling them “charmouta” Arabic for “whore.”

Right-wing activists hold up a banner reading in Hebrew, 1967 - Jerusalem in our hands; 2025 - Gaza in our hands as they gather with Israeli flags outside the Damascus Gate of the walled Old City of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025

"This is not what love for Jerusalem looks like. This is what hatred, racism, and bullying look like. This is not our Judaism. This is not the Zionism we believe in. This is the product of an anti-Zionist, non-Jewish, inciting, and racist government," said Yair Golan, Chairman of Democrats in Israel.

UNRWA West Bank coordinator Roland Friedrich said protesters stormed into the compound, including Yulia Malinovsky, the legislator who was behind the ban on UNRWA, and forced inside the compound in the view of the Police.

Police have detained some of the extremist protestors. Last year, during the Jerusalem Day celebration, violence was seen between Palestinian and Jewish settlers.