Pro-Palestinian activists associated with the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish organization, Neturei Karta, marched against Israel’s Independence Day in East Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Footage shows several members carrying placards conveying messages such as ‘State of Israel does not represent world Jewry’ and ‘Jews are not Zionists,’ while waving the Palestinian flag and engaging in symbolic acts like burning the Israeli flag.

Tensions escalated as clashes between pro-Palestinian activists and Israeli citizens erupted, leading to arrests by the police.

“This name (Israel) is used for political purposes in the interests of the Zionist movement, but Zionism and Judaism are two opposites. The first is that they preserve the Torah and keep the commandments of the Torah. That’s why the elders created a state here, a state for everyone, a Zionist-style state. It hurts us so much that the rabbis came out against it,” said Simon a protester.

Neturei Karta’s condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza is rooted in their view that such operations contravene the teachings of the Torah, reflecting their commitment to anti-Zionist principles established by the group’s founder, Amram Blau, in the late 1930s. Despite their opposition to Israel, many members of Neturei Karta reside in Jerusalem.

Israel’s Independence Day was celebrated based on the Declaration of Independence adopted on May 15, 1948. It coincides with Palestine’s Nakba Day, which is also observed on May 15, as it marks the displacement of Palestinian citizens during the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.