JERUSALEM DAY

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Context

Israeli nationalists marking the 1967 capture of East Jerusalem were to march through the Muslim quarter of the Old City in an annual parade that Palestinians see as a provocation.

What is Jerusalem Day?

Israel fought a number of Arab armies in a 1967 war, during which it captured territories including East Jerusalem.
The annual commemoration can draw crowds in the tens of thousands.
Israel has since annexed East Jerusalem, in a move that has not won international recognition, and regards the entire city as its eternal and undivided capital.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
The day’s events culminate with a flag-waving march that cuts through downtown Jerusalem before entering the walled Old City, home to sites holy to Christians, Jews and Muslims.
In recent years, the parade has increasingly become a show of force for Jewish nationalists, and for Palestinians a blatant provocation meant to undermine their ties to the city.

Cause of tension

The heavily-policed procession passes through areas that are popular among Palestinians forcing some Arab shopkeepers to close down.
In the past, it has included some acts of racist incitement and violence.
Another source of tension has been visits by large groups of Jewish pilgrims, including members of parliament, to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam that Jews revere as the Temple Mount, a vestige of two ancient temples.
Palestinians say the visits and police enforcement around them are an Israeli attempt to encroach on one of the few places in the city where they sense a degree of sovereignty.
Jewish visitors are also increasingly violating a decades-old ban on non-Muslim worship on the compound.