Old City Basin

Archaeology has long been used as a tool for violating Palestinian rights and appropriating spaces, sites, and holdings in East Jerusalem. The practice is expanding, with notable examples including the continued archaeological excavations in various locations in the Silwan neighborhood (such as the Kedem Complex and the Pool of Siloam), which disrupt residents’ daily lives; the ongoing promotion of the Old City cable car project, responsibility for which has been transferred to the Ministry of Transport; and the continued development of tourism sites in the Valley of Hinnom, in areas previously used by neighboring Palestinian communities. These actions reinforce long-standing processes that, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, suppress Jerusalem’s multicultural heritage, and cast it primarily as a city of Jewish significance. It is an erosion of the city’s diversity, as well as the everyday lives of East Jerusalem residents.

The Flag March

As in previous years, Jewish appropriation reached a violent nadir on Jerusalem Day in May 2025, with the annual Flag March funded by the Jerusalem Municipality. Tens of thousands of Jewish youths marched through the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City, including the Muslim Quarter, chanting racist slogans, attacking Palestinian passersby and business owners, and damaging property, while most Muslim residents remained indoors. The march ended with thousands of Jews ascending Temple Mount and praying at the site, in violation of the status quo. Since taking office as Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir has ascended the Temple Mount on several occasions, sometimes with other ministers and Members of Knesset, grandstanding about changes in police policy, even as Israel’s Prime Minister insists that there has been no change to the status quo.

In contrast, the access of Muslims to the Temple Mount has been eroded since the war broke out. Various restrictions have been imposed intermittently, with worshippers occasionally denied entry without explanation, encroaching on both freedom of worship and the status quo.