Protesters evacuated by Israeli police during a protest outside Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate, May 24, 2017 Image by Getty Images

By Nathan Guttman May 24, 2017

Several Jewish activists opposing the Israeli occupation of the West Bank were hurt on Wednesday in clashes with police and security guards in East Jerusalem.

The activists, members of IfNotNow, Free Jerusalem, and All That’s Left, joined Israeli groups trying to disrupt the planned “March of Flags” marking the 50th anniversary of what is seen by most Israelis as the unification of Jerusalem and by others as part of the occupation of Palestinian territory.

The protest started with activists from the U.S. and Israel spreading out in the Muslim Quarter and shopping at stores which were forced to shut down later while the “March of Flags” goes through. The activists then formed a human chain to block Israeli police and military from entering the Old City to secure the march. Several protestors, according to IfNotNow, were injured in altercations with Israeli forces.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

An estimated 60,000 people took part in the march through Jerusalem.

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount