Security Tight as Israelis Mark 1967 Capture of East Jerusalem

Israeli police deployed in large numbers in Jerusalem on Sunday for an annual march marking the country's 1967 seizure of the Palestinian-dominated eastern half of the city.

This year's march came as Muslims prepare to begin observing the fasting month of Ramadan, when many Palestinians visit the flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City.

The Israeli march for "Jerusalem Day" was also passing through the Muslim quarter of the Old City before arriving at the Western Wall, which is directly below the al-Aqsa compound, leading to fears of tensions.

Some 30,000 demonstrators were expected at the march which began at around 5:15 pm (1415 GMT).

"We shall be there in very large numbers," Israeli police spokesman Asi Aharoni said ahead of the march.

"We have more than 2,000 police just for the Jerusalem Day events."

Israeli rights group Ir Amim had asked the supreme court to bar the march from entering the Old City through the Damascus Gate, the main entry used by Palestinians.

The court rejected the appeal, but required the marchers to complete their passage through the Damascus Gate by 6:15 pm and through the Muslim quarter by 7:00 pm.

The time restrictions were in place in case Ramadan began on Sunday night. The start of Ramadan coincides with the new moon.

Young Jewish demonstrators gathered in the city center near the Old City ahead of the march, including religious students with separate processions for males and females.

At Damascus Gate, heavy security included barricades and nearby cafes that cater to tourists had closed.

Small groups of young Jews waving Israeli flags and chanting nationalist slogans filed through the Muslim quarter.

Some shopkeepers closed their stores out of precaution.

"Last year they put glue to destroy my lock," said shopkeeper Rimon Himo as he wrapped tape around his lock. "I learned my lesson."

While Israelis see the day as celebrating the "reunification" of Jerusalem, Palestinians view the 1967 war as resulting in the seizure of their land.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech on Sunday that "even in the darkest periods in our nation's history, in the darkness of exile, in the lowest of despair, our path was always lit by one beam of hope -- Jerusalem, Zion."

Israel occupied east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.

Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state, whereas Israelis see all of Jerusalem as their capital.

The future status of Jerusalem is among the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.