""Remove this disgrace": A giant PLO flag is hung over Ayalon in Ramat Gan

June 1, 2022   

A huge Palestinian flag was hung this morning (Wednesday) at the stock exchange complex in Ramat Gan - across from Netivei Ayalon. The 'Mechazkim' movement hung the flag as a protest against the coalition's intention to allow free voting on the law by MK Eli Cohen of the Likud, which would ban the flying of PLO flags in educational institutions. The sign was also hung at the same time in Nazareth. The explanatory notes to the law state: "According to the proposal in this legislative amendment, a prohibited gathering is also one during which flags of enemy countries or flags of the Palestinian Authority are displayed publicly in bodies that are budgeted or supported by the state." Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama HaCohen published a post calling on the city's residents to vote on whether the billboard with the flags of Israel and Palestine and the inscription in Hebrew and Arabic 'We were destined to live together' will hurt their feelings. He said, "Some will see this content as defiant and offensive, and some will see it as a message for coexistence and peace." He ultimately approved the hanging of the sign - a move that drew much criticism. Former MK Oren Hazan tweeted: "'Carmel Shamma An opportunist in the shekel. A spineless person who only thinks about himself and his pocket. A man without a path, without values, and without faith. After he attacked the Sabbath and Judaism, now he is already going against the entire country. Shame and disgrace!"" Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the beginning of the sign: "Under the government of fraud and weakness of Bennett-Lapid-RAAM and the joint coalition, and after Abu Mazen's relentless incitement in recent months, the PLO flag is today flying huge on Ayalon. Likud demands that the mayor of Ramat Gan Carmel, Shamma, act immediately to remove this disgrace today. Likud will continue to act in every way to quickly replace the government of fraud and weakness that depends on supporters of terror with a strong national government." The 'Choose Life' forum of bereaved families and victims of terrorism stated: "We strongly demand that the Ramat Gan Municipality fire everyone responsible for the decision to allow the hanging of the Asef flags in the advertising areas within its territory. This is a flag in whose name our loved ones were murdered, a flag that represents a terrorist authority that pays salaries to terrorists and their family members and thus encourages further attacks. "Removing the flag does not eliminate our sense of deep hurt and the humiliation of our loved ones who were murdered and injured in the attacks." Ramat Gan City Council member, Attorney Chaya Mena: "Carmel Shama, as usual, is busy with personal PR and is not interested in hurting the public's feelings due to the hanging of the offensive signage of the flag of the terrorist organizations. As mayor, he has the authority under the Ramat Gan Signage Bylaw to refuse to hang the signage and to consult with a professional committee that will examine whether the signage complies with the Bylaw and the municipal signage policy. "Instead, it is He ran to publish a post and a survey on Facebook and approved the hanging of the offensive signage, in order to get media exposure. Now he claims that they accepted his position that the signage was offensive and removed it. This position should have been heard before the signage was hung, in order to prevent it from being hung and to prevent harm to the feelings of the public and the victims of terrorism and their families in particular." Uri Kol, CEO of the 'Mehazekim' organization, which is behind the campaign, addressed the storm and said in a conversation with Erel Segal and Chen Lieberman on 103FM: "Today, a bill is going to be passed in the Knesset plenum that prohibits the raising of Palestinian flags, and we think it is an expression of weakness, of insecurity. I think this law is a provocation, designed to escalate relations between Arabs and Jews, to create more violence, more tension." Segal asked in response: Suppose someone comes and raises the Palestinian flag and chants 'Khyber, Khyber, you Jew', is that incitement or is it permissible? Cole replied: "If people have problems with the demonstrations, then let them try to talk about the chants, what's the deal with the flag? I'm not a fan of flags, I'm not a fan of flags, but when we put the Israeli flag next to the Palestinian flag and say, 'Our future is together,' I say to the citizens of Israel and to those who are going to try to pass this law today, 'Don't close your eyes to what's happening here.' Our common future is only between the Arabs and the Jews." Segal: I think that on a political level you're making a terrible mistake, because you're actually embarrassing the government that you want to keep from falling. So what are you achieving by doing that? Cole: "I'm not doing this for the government. I have a moral, values-based position. I do my political activism out of love and deep concern for my homeland, the place where I have lived since I was born and a true love for this place, and I say not to ignore reality - the common future is Jewish-Arab, in partnership." Segal: There is a ban on flying the PLO flag. Amma? It is not enforced, unless it is used during a demonstration in which words of encouragement for terrorism are spoken. Voice: "What if it is flown behind a prime minister or a representative of the State of Israel at an official meeting? In any case, the PA is not an enemy state." The presenter continued and attacked: Leave the flag, what you did in Ramat Gan, the provocation that will not strengthen you. Voice replied: "The real provocation is from the Likud, who are trying to prohibit students from flying the flag." Segal: Do you know what happened in Khyber? Because when they sing a song like 'Khyber Khyber, the army of Muhammad is coming,' do you know what it is? They sang it in universities, they sang it in Haifa, they sang it in Nazareth, they sang it in Umm al-Fahm. Cole: "Do you know the song 'Muhammad is dead'? There are a lot of disgusting things, there are a lot of nationalists." Segal: Are you in favor of waving a flag when they sing about how they murdered and raped the Khyber community, the unfortunate Jews? Lieberman: "Even people who hold the Israeli flag sometimes sing terrible things, what's the connection?" Segal: But this is our country. My child, now he has the Israeli flag on his uniform. Tell me, are you crazy? He's an enemy. "Who is an enemy?" Cole asked, and Segal replied: "The Palestinians are an enemy. I want to understand, when Abu Mazen pays money to the murderers of the Fogel family's children, is he an enemy or not? In my opinion, he is an enemy." Cole: "Are all the Arabs in the State of Israel an enemy?" The presenter concluded: "No, not all the Arabs are enemies.".