Israeli extremists chant racist slogans, assault Palestinians during scaled-down 'flag march'

Israeli extremists taking part in a provocative "flag march" paraded through occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday afternoon, chanting racist slogans and assaulting Palestinians.

Turnout for the march was lower than expected with observers estimating that roughly a thousand people took part, including Israeli far-right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The marchers waved Israeli flags and chanted "Death to Arabs" and "May your villages burn" at Palestinians in the Old City of Jerusalem, also reportedly shouting insults to the Prophet Muhammad.

The Israeli extremists concluded their procession through the Old City with a dance at the Damascus Gate.

Israeli security forces detained 17 Palestinians protesting against the march on Tuesday afternoon, also injuring 33 people according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The correspondent of The New Arab’s Arabic-language service in Jerusalem said that Israeli extremists attacked women who raised the Palestinian flag at the Damascus Gate.

The extremists also assaulted Palestinian and Arab journalists who were covering the march.

After they left the Damascus Gate area, Palestinian protesters arrived chanting patriotic slogans. Palestinian youths also cleaned the area with brooms after the march.

In a video shared widely on social media, Israeli police attacked the youths and confiscated the brooms.

#فلسطين 𓂆 🇵🇸

IOF confiscated brooms from Palestinian youths at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem yesterday.

Brooms again 🤦🏻‍♀️#SahabatPalestina_ID pic.twitter.com/2kaGE8kuI1

— 𝑀𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑇 (@Just_T_0606) June 15, 2021

Palestinian factions denounced the march as a provocation and an insult before it took place.

It was delayed several times and re-routed by Israeli authorities in order to forestall the possibility of clashes.

On Tuesday night, Israel launched airstrikes against the Gaza Strip after incendiary balloons were sent from the besieged Palestinian enclave towards southern Israel while the march was taking place.

Hamas had previously warned Israel that the march could lead to the resumption of conflict after a ceasefire ended a deadly Israeli assault on Gaza last month.

However, Israeli state broadcaster Kan reported on Tuesday that Israel had sent messages to the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, and Jordan in the days preceding the march saying it did not want an "escalation" and changed the march's route to avoid this.