The march was also marked by extremist chants from some participants, including “Gaza is a graveyard” and “death to Arabs” as they passed through the Muslim Quarter. Police said 13 people were arrested or detained.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir waves the Israeli flag as he tours the Temple Mount on May 14, 2026 (Flash90)Flash90
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was also pictured atop the Temple Mount bearing an Israeli flag, claiming he had “restored sovereignty on the Temple Mount thanks to determination and deterrence”.
The mount is one of the holiest places in Judaism as the former site of the first and second temples, but is also home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which holds similar status in Islam.
The site is administered independently by the Jerusalem Waqf, which is nominally under Jordanian control, and there are restrictions on Jewish religious practice there under a long-standing informal agreement with the Israeli government.
However, in recent months, several MKs have been allowed to pray openly, including with full prostration, a practice usually banned at the mount, in full view of police. In his role as head of national security, Ben-Gvir is ultimately minister responsible for policing.
He was accompanied by Yitzhak Kroizer MK, of his Otzma Yehudit party, who later called for the destruction of Al-Aqsa.
"The time has come to get rid of all the mosques and work to construct the Temple,” he wrote on Facebook.
Many Palestinian residents closed shops and remained indoors during the parade, while activists from the Israeli-Palestinian group Standing Together said volunteers were deployed to help prevent attacks on Palestinians and their property.
