Peace Now cries foul on Palestinian flag wavers

Peace Now filed a complaint with police on Monday claiming that members of the right-wing group Im Tirtzu presented themselves as Peace Now activists and waved Palestinian flags during Jerusalem Day celebrations on Sunday.

Army Radio reported the incident — presumably, an attempt to portray the left-wing group Peace Now as Palestinian sympathizers — but did not specify which law Peace Now alleged that Im Tirtzu had violated.

Peace Now stated on its Facebook page that Im Tirtzu revealed its true face as an “extremist right-wing movement.” It then thanked the movement for returning “the question of Jerusalem” to the national agenda. The same post further said that the “only ones who continue to oppose every compromise and drag us to a religious war steeped in blood are the extremist movements in Israel like ‘Im Tirtzu’ and extreme Islamic movements on the Arab side.”

The message concluded with the statement, “The sane majority in Israel wants and is ready for a Jerusalem compromise solution.”

Im Tirtzu was reported by Army Radio to have responded to the complaint by saying that “Peace Now is an organization impersonating an Israeli organization while operating with backing from foreign countries in order to give the Temple Mount to Palestinian Authority. It is regrettable that they do not understand that freedom of speech also includes the right to ridicule their positions.”

Im Tirtzu describes itself on its website as an “extra-parliamentary movement that works to strengthen and advance the values of Zionism in Israel.”