Israel Orders Ban on Public Palestinian Flag-Flying

Facts

• Israel's security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Sunday ordered police to remove Palestinian flags from public places, deeming their display an act of "terrorism" in the wake of mass anti-government protests in Tel Aviv that broke out the previous day.
• The announcement came only a few hours after Ben-Gvir summoned Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai to reprimand him regarding public festivities in the Arab town of 'Ara. The festivities celebrated the return of freed prisoner Karim Younis, who served 40 years in jail on terror charges.
• Additionally, the minister instructed Shabtai to open a probe in order to scrutinize why his instruction to prevent celebrations of the prisoner's release in 'Ara was only partially carried out by officers, demanding results of the investigation be presented to him.
• This is the latest punitive measure taken by the right-wing Benjamin Netanyahu's new government against Palestinian activism since taking office last month. His administration's actions have also included withholding some $40M in tax revenues and stripping Palestinian officials of certain privileges.
• Nationalist official Ben-Gvir became Israel's security minister after his Jewish Power party (Otzma Yehudit) agreed to join Netanyahu's coalition government in exchange for several concessions, including a policy of banning Palestinian flags from state-funded institutions.
• Following the unilateral decree, local news outlet Channel 13 reported that Israeli police were unsure about the announcement, as the High Court of Justice has stated in many rulings that the right to expression shall not be restricted without near certainty of a grave and genuine threat to public safety.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Times of Israel, Haaretz, Guardian, RT, and Middle East Eye.

Narratives

• Pro-Palestine, as provided by Daily Beast. Israel's most far-right government ever hasn't wasted any time in cracking down on Palestinians. This flag ban is simply symbolic of all the efforts taken to retaliate against the UN vote to refer the decades-long occupation of the West Bank to the International Court of Justice. Tel Aviv's goal is clear: to harm the Palestinian cause as much as possible and bring about its downfall.
• Pro-Israel, as provided by JNS. While waving the Palestine Liberation Organization flag is not a crime under Israeli law, it's self-evident that its display expresses solidarity and sympathy to terror groups when it's flown in the homecoming ceremony of a convicted murderer who spent 40 years in prison. This ban is a necessary measure to curb the acceleration of terrorism and prevent further public disturbances.

Predictions