A Disturbing Scene During the 2024 Flag March
Come and See, Go and Tell Reflection #8
By, Rev. Dr. Paul McAllister
On Wednesday June 5th, Jerusalem Day in Israel, I witnessed a disturbing scene near the Damascus Gate during the 2024 Flag March. Jerusalem Day is the day that Jewish nationalists celebrate the annexation of East Jerusalem in the West Bank and its holy sites in the 1967 war. Despite the Kach Movement's terrorist designation since 1994, participants proudly displayed Kach flags and logos. Youthful Zionists, chanting provocative slogans, instigated violence and targeted journalists and locals, including a harrowing incident involving an Arabic journalist. The tense atmosphere of aggression and fear was palpable, underscoring the complex dynamics in the region.
Songs and chanted slogans echoing from the Zionists reflect a disturbing narrative. Provocative phrases like "Avenge but one of my two eyes from Palestine" and "May your village burn! Amen!" fueled tensions. The declaration "The Temple will be built!" and chants about the city of Zion further deepened the divide. Expressions like "Shuafat is burning!" and "Yalla, go home!" added to the intensity. Additionally, derogatory remarks targeting Arabs and the disrespectful chant about the Prophet Muhammad were made. Dialogue is essential for fostering mutual understanding and respect in such sensitive contexts, but this was not a situation where attempts at mediation were likely to succeed.
Amidst the tensions where the Christian Quarter and the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem intersection, a woman in a colorful clown costume shared heart-shaped stickers with passersby as local businesses tried to operate. Meanwhile, a group of 30-40 young Zionists approached a gathering of journalists and curious spectators, chanting "The Temple Mount belongs to us" and spit on Muslim men. This group had previously been dispersed by police and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), but their aggressive behavior continued.
Photo source: Hazem Bader, AFP Photo
At one point as the Zionist protesters gathered, one of them raised a rod, preparing to strike an Arab journalist. The journalist quickly reached out and grabbed the rod to defend himself, but was then struck with the object after being kicked, pulled, and dragged by the young Zionists. The skirmish rapidly escalated, forcing several of us who were video recording to quickly flee onto El Jabsha Street, where the confrontation had taken place. As we escaped to safety, the Arab journalist stopped running about 30-40 feet from the conflict. In the photos, he is shown being assisted by a Jewish Israeli colleague and a Jewish Israeli medic. The medic’s late arrival onto the chaotic scene was precedes by a crowd of local and international photographers and video journalists who had gathered to capture the events.
As I retreated from the Damascus Gate and returned to my hotel, I reflected upon the atmosphere inside the Old City, so charged with intense hatred, extreme hostility, and unparalleled intimidation and fear. I thought of my panicked flight which involved pushing against those ahead of me, crashing into a vertical water pipe afixed to the side of a home, falling to the ground, and furiously reaching for my cell phone. It had been a brutish and uncivil scene that went far beyond what could be adequately captured on camera. When I paused to speak to a nearby store owner about the episode, he greeted me with a wry smile, casually lit a cigarette, and spoke in a gentle and seemingly care-free tone: "You are from the U.S.; Welcome to Jerusalem."
Rev. Dr. Paul McAllister
Rev. Dr. Paul A. McAllister, Founder and President of Global Leaders in Unity and Evolvement (GLUE), an independent 501(c)(3) think tank organization in North Carolina. He is a member of the Science and Digitalization Task Force of Think 7 Italy, the official policy engagement group of the G7, and was a 2023 member of the Think 7 Japan Task Force on Peace, Security and Global Governance.
He is chair of the Interfaith Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party, a member of the National Council of Churches Theology Task Force of the Interfaith Relations Convening Table, the Faith and Order Convening Table, and a Bonhoeffer Fellow of the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership of Hebrew College.
A former systems engineer, he is an ordained clergyman with the Church of God (National Offices in Anderson, IN) and a member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC.