Photo Credit: Israel Police Spokesperson's Unit
Thousands pray at the Western Wall on Jerusalem Day.

Thousands upon thousands of people flocked to the Western Wall on Sunday to celebrate the 49th year of the unification of the heartbeat of Israel, the holy city of Jerusalem.

Nearly half of the city, and all of the ancient Old City of Jerusalem was occupied for 19 years by Jordan after it was captured during the 1948 War of Independence.

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The Israel Defense Forces restored the seized portion of the ancient Jewish capital to the rest of the city during the 1967 Six Day War.

Israelis have since streamed into the capital to celebrate the day by praying at the Western Wall and with other festivities, including the Jerusalem Day Flag Dance Parade.

This year the parade will march as always from the Damascus Gate through the Muslim Quarter to the Western Wall, but marchers and participants will only be allowed through the gate from 5:30 pm until 6:30 pm.

After that time anyone who wishes to enter will be redirected to the Jaffa Gate.

Tonight also begins the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, and Muslim worshipers will be hurrying to attend prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, right next door to the Western Wall.

Jerusalem District Police and Israel Police have adjusted the scheduling in order to minimize the likelihood of clashes between the two celebrating populations.

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Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.