Outrage as Ben-Gvir compares Palestinian flag to 'Nazi symbol'

Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem have raised Palestinian flags in a challenge to extreme-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s decision to ban the flag and remove it from all public spaces.

Footage shared on social media showed a man hanging Palestinian flags from electricity poles in the occupied holy city, in defiance of Ben-Gvir’s decision.

شبان يرفعون #الاعلام_الفلسطينية في شوارع مدينة #القدس كرد على قرار وزير الامن القومي الاسرائيلي #بن_غفير بحظر رفعه pic.twitter.com/aVns4X91yJ

— fatima khamaisi 🦉 (@fatima_khamaisi) January 10, 2023

It came as Ben-Gvir compared the Palestinian flag to a Nazi symbol on Twitter.

“Freedom of speech – yes. Full on waving Nazi symbols - no. Violation of order and road blocks contrary to the law - no. A law is a law and it applies to everyone,” Ben-Gvir tweeted.

On Sunday, Ben-Gvir gave orders to Israeli police to remove Palestinian flags from any public space, claiming that it was the symbol of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which he described as a “terrorist organisation”.

שמאלנים יקרים, לא תצליחו לסלף. חופש ביטוי - כן. על מלא. הנפת דגלי טרור - לא. הנפת סמלים נאצים - לא. הפרת הסדר וחסימות כבישים בניגוד לחוק - לא. חוק הוא חוק והוא חל על כולם. pic.twitter.com/8Ys7YV0Eyk

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) January 9, 2023

Amnesty International has condemned Ben-Gvir’s ban as “a "shameless attempt to legitimise racism".

"Israeli authorities say the directive is aimed at stopping 'incitement' against Israel, but it comes amid a string of measures designed to silence dissent and restrict protests, including those held in defence of Palestinian rights," Amnesty said in a statement.

"The farcical pretexts for this directive cannot mask the fact that Israeli authorities are growing increasingly ruthless in their attempts to silence Palestinian voices," the statement added.

Ben-Gvir, who leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, has a history of inciting violence against Palestinians, previously calling on police to open fire on Palestinian residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.

He is a disciple of racist Israeli Rabbi Meir Kahane, who advocated the expulsion of all Palestinians from Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

Last week, Ben-Gvir embarked on a provocative visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem – the third most holy site in the Islamic faith – which was condemned by the UN Security Council and governments worldwide.