Israel orders removal of Palestinian flags from public areas

TEL AVIV: Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's new far-right Minister of National Security, has ordered police to remove Palestinian flags from public areas because they constitute "terrorism," Al Jazeera reported on Monday.

In Benjamin Netanyahu's new far-right cabinet, Ben-Gvir is the leader of the ultranationalist Jewish Power party and the minister of national security, who is in charge of the police. Notably, Israeli law does not forbid Palestinian flags, but police and troops do have the authority to take them down under certain circumstances.

Israeli authorities have long imposed strict restrictions on the flying of the Palestinian flag in Israel, which Palestinians view as an effort to stifle Palestinian identity, Al Jazeera reported. Following a significant anti-government demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday, where some protesters carried Palestinian flags, Ben-Gvir issued his orders.

Protesters also advocated for equality and co-existence between Palestinians and Israelis.

The instruction from Ben-Gvir also comes in response to the recent week's release of a long-serving Palestinian prisoner who was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering an Israeli soldier in 1983, Al Jazeera reported.

Earlier in December, India stressed that no alternative to the two-state solution can guarantee peace between Israel and Palestine and said that direct negotiations are the only path to peace. (ANI)