The Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City was cleared of its
Palestinian inhabitants on the eve of the Ramadan holiday, 5 June 2016,
to make way for a flag procession by Jewish religious nationalists,
celebrating Israel conquering the eastern half of the city 49 years
earlier.

Store owners, street merchants, and shoppers preparing
for that evening’s celebratory feast were driven out of the lanes that
fell along the route chosen by march organizers and approved by Israel’s
Supreme Court. From a safe distance behind police barricades,
Palestinian residents of Jerusalem watched silently as ultra-nationalist
Jews paraded through the quarter, singing songs of praise to Yahweh and
calling for the ethnic cleansing of non-Jews.

Tens of thousands
of Israelis took hours to stream through the monumental Damascus Gate
and weave their way through the alleys of the Muslim Quarter, eventually
reaching their final destination, the holy Western Wall plaza, where
they were treated to musical performances and a series of speeches by
top religious and political officials.

Video by Dan Cohen and David Sheen