A controversial bill that seeks to ban the Palestinian flag in state-funded institutions passed in a first reading in the Knesset plenum Wednesday night.
The legislation passed with 63 members of parliament voting in favor to 16 who voted against.
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MKs Eli Cohen and Ahmad Tibi spar during Knesset deliberations on bill banning Palestinian flag in state-funded institutions
(Photo: Rafi Kotz, Moti Kimchi)
All members of Yesh Atid, apart from Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy who voted in favor, were absent from the vote. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other members of the coalition voted in favor while the Islamist Ra'am party voted against the bill.
On Sunday, lawmakers were given permission to vote their conscience on the bill, which came after hundreds of Arab students held two pro-Palestinian rallies at Tel Aviv University and Ben Gurion University and stirred public furor.
The bill stipulates that the hoisting of flags of enemy states, or hostile entities like the Palestinian Authority, will be banned in state-funded institutions, including universities.
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Bedouin students flying Palestinian flags at Ben Gurion University
(Photo: Herzl Yosef)
Several Arab lawmakers voiced their protest of the bill during deliberations, to which the sponsor of the legislation, Likud MK Eli Cohen, responded by telling them to "go to Gaza or Jordan."
"Friends, imagine someone flying the al-Qaeda flag in the United States, imagine UK hospitals flying the IRA flag, imagine Saudi schools flying the Houthi flag," Cohen said in the chamber. "Nowhere else in the world is it conceivable."
"Had they not lived in Israel, they'd be living in fear in Lebanon, living in abject poverty or getting slaughtered in Gaza," he continued as furious Arab legislators were ejected from the plenum one by one.
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Banner showing Palestinian and Israeli flags next to each other in Ramat Gan
(Photo: Shaul Golan)
"Rallying around with the [Palestinian Liberation Organization] flag in universities represents the aspirations of those who wish to exterminate the Jewish state, that's their message. Even now, the Palestinian Authority is paying stipends to those who murder Jews. Even now, your education system continues to incite against and malign the Jews and Israel."
Earlier on Wednesday, a large Palestinian flag that was hung alongside the Israeli flag on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building in Ramat Gan was removed after several hours following public outcry.
Progressive left movement Mehazkim claimed responsibility for the sign, saying it came in protest of the proposed legislation.