Photo Editor: Hassam Ahmed
On Sunday, Israel’s new far-right Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, announced that he had instructed the police to remove Palestinian flags from public places.
Summary:
It is not illegal to display Palestinian flags in Israel, but police and soldiers have the right to remove them if they deem that there is a threat to public order.
As a minister overseeing the police, Ben-Gvir, who heads an ultranationalist party in Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government, appears to take a hard line in ordering their removal.
The incident follows last week’s release of a Palestinian prisoner convicted of kidnapping and murdering an Israeli soldier in 1983, who waved a Palestinian flag while receiving a hero’s welcome in his village in northern Israel.
In a statement, Ben-Gvir indicated that waving the Palestinian flag constituted support for terrorism.
“It is not acceptable that lawbreakers wave terrorist flags and incite and encourage terrorism, so I have ordered the removal of flags that support terrorism from public spaces and to stop incitement against Israel,” Ben-Gvir said.
The Arab population in Israel makes up approximately a fifth of the people, most of whom are descendants of Palestinians who remained within the newly established state following its independence in 1948.
With many identifying as or associated with Palestinians, they have long debated their place in Israeli politics, balancing their Palestinian heritage with their Israeli citizenship.
READ MORE: Meet New Israeli Cabinet Members And Their Crimes
To stop “incitement against Israel,” Ben-Gvir ordered the removal of the Palestinian flag.
Palestinian flags are not explicitly prohibited by Israeli law, but police and soldiers have the authority to remove them.
In Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government, Itamar Ben-Gvir heads an ultranationalist party. He oversees the police as minister.
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This post was last modified on January 9, 2023 7:00 pm
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