The attitude of the new minister, Ben-Gvir, known for his provocations, angered the Palestinians even more. It is still unclear whether his order is legal.
Israel’s new Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, ordered Palestinian flags to be raised in public places. “I have given orders to remove flags supporting terrorism from public spaces and to stop incitement against the State of Israel,” the far-right politician wrote on Twitter late Sunday night. According to media reports, it is still unclear whether the order is legal.
Palestinian flags were waved during celebrations for the release of a Palestinian in northern Tel Aviv last week. The man was convicted of the 1983 murder of an Israeli soldier. Some Palestinian flags could also be seen at a demonstration against the new government in Tel Aviv over the weekend.
Hanging and displaying the Palestinian flag is not strictly prohibited in Israel. However, flags can be removed if they “endanger public order”. Israeli authorities have regularly exercised this right in the past. There are always clashes.
Government presses autonomy authority
On Friday, Israel’s new religious right-wing government announced a series of punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority. The background to this was the approval of the UN General Assembly for an examination by the International Court of Justice of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, which has been ongoing since 1967. The request was submitted by the Palestinians.
In 1967, Israel conquered the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in the Six Day War. The UN classifies the areas as occupied. Palestinians want them for their own state. The peace process between Israel and the Palestinians has been stalled since 2014.
In late 2016, the UN Security Council asked Israel to completely freeze settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including annexed East Jerusalem. However, Israel’s new far-right government also wants to move forward with expanding settlements in areas that Palestinians claim for a future state. “The government will promote and develop the settlement of all parts of Israel – in the Galilee, in the Negev desert, in the Golan Heights and in Judea and Samaria (West Bank),” according to the guidelines of the right-wing religious coalition.
(APA/dpa)