Israeli nationalists hold parade marking capture of East Jerusalem

Thousands of Israeli nationalists marched on Thursday through the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem's walled Old City under heavy security, in an annual event marking Israel's capture of the city's east in a war nearly six decades ago.



The parade, the main celebration of Jerusalem Day, has become a show of force for Jewish nationalists but is seen by Palestinians as a blatant provocation aimed at undermining their ties to the city.



"Jerusalem is our holy city. It is our holy city forever," said Shira Gefen, a 53-year-old Israeli who travelled to Jerusalem from her home near Haifa for the rally.

Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, a move that the United Nations and most countries have not recognised.