Israel’s new public security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, ordered police on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, to remove Palestinian flags from public places in the latest crackdown by the country’s new hardline government. AP.
Jerusalem: Israel has banned flying of Palestinian flags in public places, claiming they “encourage terrorism”. Announcing the order, Israeli National Security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dismissed concerns that the order would infringe on civil liberties, arguing that freedom of expression “does not extend to identifying with a terrorists”.
“It is inconceivable that lawbreakers will wave terror flags, incite and encourage terrorism. I have issued instructions for the removal of the flags, which support terrorism, from the public space and to stop incitement against the state of Israel,” Jerusalem Post quoted a statement by Ben-Gvir.
Notably, Ben-Gvir has already stirred controversy shortly after assuming charge of the office, as his visited to the Temple Mount compound last week is drawing ire.
In a tweet, he said, “We will fight terrorism and the encouragement of terrorism with all our might!”
Remove Palestinian flags
Ben-Gvir became national security minister of Israel after his Otzma Yehudit party formed a coalition with that of the newly re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gvir ordered Israel’s police commissioner to direct all officers to remove Palestinian flags.
The coalition agreement between the two parties included a policy of removing Palestinian flags from state-funded institutions.
For the unversed, as per the Israeli law, the flying of Palestinian flags is not illegal. However, military and law enforcement authorities have the power to remove the flags in cases where they are deemed a threat to public order.
The decision came after Palestinian flags, on Saturday, were flown at an anti-government protest in Tel Aviv.
Release of Israel’s longest-serving Palestinian prisoner, Karim Younis, convicted in 1983 of kidnapping and murdering an Israeli soldier, also raised concerns, prompting the government to take the decision to remove flags from public places.
Younis waved a Palestinian flag as he returned home to a celebration in northern Israel’s Ara village.
After coming to power, the Israeli government-led by Netanyahu announced a slew of punishments of the Palestinian Authority (PA) for seeking a legal opinion from the UN’s International Court of Justice on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
With inputs from agencies
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