Thousands gear up for pro-Israel march through Jerusalem

Major roads in downtown Jerusalem are blocked as thousands of Israel supporters gear up to march through the capital for the annual event.

Israelis join groups from all over the world walk through the streets of the city in celebration of the Sukkot holiday.

The route passes through some of the capital’s central thoroughfares, leading to closed roads and traffic problems, as it does each year.

Police closed off several major streets and junctions in the early afternoon to make way for the carnival-like parade and local media warned motorists to avoid the city center until the event concludes later this evening.

The march takes place each year during the week-long festival of Sukkot, which began last Wednesday night, and includes participants from a wide variety of organizations from Israel and abroad. In previous years, up to 60,000 people took part in the event, including several thousand evangelical Christians from around the world.

Thousands of spectators typically line the streets to watch the march.