Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation is scheduled to discuss a new bill imposing a one-year prison sentence on individuals who raise Palestinian flags during demonstrations according to Haaretz.
Drafted by MK Anat Berko the bill stipulates that any gathering of at least of three people raising the flag of a state or an entity that is not friend with Israel or that prevents the raising of the flag of Israel will be considered illegal. Anyone who participates in a prohibited gathering would be subjected to up to a year in prison.
The bill defines the states that are not friends with Israel as the “states who do not recognize Israel as a Jewish and democratic state”.
Berko in her justification wrote that Israel is a democratic state which allows its citizens to protest against different issues; however the new bill draws a red line between the legal protest and the protest where the flags of the countries that do not recognize Israel are raised.
