TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - On Monday, May 26, 2025, right-wing Israeli residents, accompanied by thousands of armed police, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) facilities during Jerusalem Day, an annual march commemorating Israel’s 1967 occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem.
According to Al Jazeera, some marchers in Jerusalem’s Old City shouted hate-filled slogans, including "Death to Arabs" and "May your village burn", as they moved through the Muslim Quarter.
The provocative parade, which included Israeli settlers from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, saw harassment of Palestinian shopkeepers, pedestrians, and children, as well as confrontations with police.
Israeli settlers, considered illegal under international law, reportedly spat on civilians, shouted insults, and attempted to force entry into homes. Police detained at least two individuals during the unrest.
A small group, including Israeli parliamentarian Yulia Malinovsky, a sponsor of legislation banning UNRWA, also stormed a UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem. The agency’s West Bank coordinator, Roland Friedrich, confirmed that around a dozen protesters climbed the gates of the complex while Israeli police looked on.
Israel’s ban on UNRWA operations in the occupied territories has hindered the agency’s humanitarian work, particularly in the Gaza Strip.
Among the over 2,000 march participants was far-right Minister of Public Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy police protection. From the site, Islam’s third holiest, Ben-Gvir posted a video stating he had "prayed for victory in the war, for the return of all our hostages, and for the success of the newly-appointed head of the Shin Bet, Major General David Zini."
Ben-Gvir has a history of such high-profile provocations at Al-Aqsa, often timed with escalations in Gaza. His actions have drawn widespread criticism for inflaming tensions and undermining the fragile status quo at the holy site.
The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, which oversees the Al-Aqsa compound, condemned the incursion, calling for an immediate end to all "provocative activities" in the area. Under its Jordanian-appointed administration, only Muslims are permitted to pray at the site, which is known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif.
Tensions during Jerusalem Day have repeatedly triggered violence in the past, including an 11-day war in Gaza in 2021. Last year, ultra-nationalists used the occasion to assault a Palestinian journalist and call for anti-Palestinian violence.
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