| Dance of Flags ריקוד דגלים | |
|---|---|
 Israeli paraders walking through Jerusalem's Mamilla neighborhood, 2018 | |
| Status | Occurring |
| Genre | Flag flying parade |
| Date(s) | 28 Iyar |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Old City of Jerusalem, East Jerusalem, Israeli-occupied West Bank |
| Years active | 56 |
| Inaugurated | 26 May 1968 |
| Most recent | 5 June 2024 |
| Previous event | 18 May 2023 |
| Attendance | 50,000 |
| Activity | Marching, waving the flag of Israel, racist chants |
The Dance of Flags[1] (Hebrew: ריקוד דגלים or ריקודגלים "Rikud Degalim"), or March of Flags (Hebrew: מצעד הדגלים "Mitzad ha’Degalim"), is an annual flag flying parade on Jerusalem Day to celebrate what some Israelis term the "reunification of Jerusalem", but more widely-recognised as the military occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem of the West Bank after the 1967 Arab–Israeli War.
The event, which passes through the Old City's Muslim Quarter in East Jerusalem, is regularly attended by far-right Jewish Israelis, including the far-right Lehava organisation, and is often accompanied by violence, especially against the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem.[2][3][4] Attendees have been regularly seen chanting racist and anti-Arab slogans such as "death to Arabs," "A Jew is a soul, an Arab is the son of a whore," and "may your villages burn."[2][5][6][7] Palestinian residents frequently shutter their businesses and homes on the day of the march for fear of being subjected to violence from Israeli marchers, or after being ordered to do so by the Israel Police, who also institute closures and checkpoints in and around the Old City.[3][8][9][10]
The Dance of Flags is recognized almost exclusively with the Religious Zionism party, which had led the efforts to overhaul Israel's judiciary that sparked the 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests.[11][12]
While Israelis consider the day a display of Jewish sovereignty over the whole of Jerusalem, Palestinians consider it an unnecessary provocation and expression of dominance in East Jerusalem, an area that is considered part of the occupied Palestinian territories.[13]
- ^ "Jerusalem Day". Knesset. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ a b McKernan, Bethan; Kierszenbaum, Quique (29 May 2022). "Clashes in Jerusalem as Israeli nationalists march through Muslim Quarter". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ a b Keller-Lynn, Carrie; Sharon, Jeremy; Magid, Jacob (18 May 2023). "At Jerusalem Flag March, chants of 'Death to Arabs' and assaults on Palestinians". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ Ben Zion, Ilon (18 May 2023). "Israeli crowds chant racist slogans, taunt Palestinians during Jerusalem Day march". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ Rai, Arpen (31 May 2022). "Israel defends decision to hold march marked by racism and violence". The Independent. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ Boxerman, Aaron; Fabian, Emanuel (29 May 2022). "Racist chants and clashes as tens of thousands march in Old City for Jerusalem Day". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ Bateman, Tom (18 May 2023). "Jerusalem: Journalists attacked as Israeli nationalists march in Old City". BBC News. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ Amichay, Rami (19 May 2023). "Israel's 'Flag March' in Jerusalem rattles Palestinians". Reuters. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ "Israeli ultranationalists march through East Jerusalem in key test for new govt". France 24. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ Tahhan, Zena Al (18 May 2023). "Israel shuts down Palestinian life in Jerusalem for 'flag march'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ Joffre, Tzvi (17 May 2023). "Jerusalem Day: Here's what to know ahead of the Israeli flag march". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ Eglash, Ruth (13 February 2023). "Meet the Knesset member at the forefront of the controversial plans to reform Israel's judiciary". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ Kingsley, Patrick; Yazbek, Hiba (18 May 2023). "Israelis March Through Jerusalem, Raising Tensions in a Divided City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 May 2023.