From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Knesset advances bill banning Palestinian flags on college campuses
Carrie Keller-Lynn is a former political and legal correspondent for The Times of Israel
The Knesset votes to advance a government-backed backed bill that would bar waving Palestinian flags on Israeli campuses.
Fifty-two lawmakers vote in favor, with 30 against, moving the bill past its preliminary reading. An additional three votes are required before it can become law.
The bill had been temporarily shelved by a government panel, after attracting widespread condemnation from university and rights groups and opposition by the attorney general.
Introduced by far-right Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech, the bill would also institute campus bans on waving flags linked to terror organizations, as well as expressing support for terror groups, terrorism, or armed struggle by enemies of Israel.
Students caught violating the ban would be suspended for 30 days for a first violation, and then for subsequent violations would be blocked for five years from either receiving a degree in Israel or having a foreign degree recognized.
Academic institutions must also expel students who belong to terror organizations or who are convicted of terror offenses. The latter would be blocked from receiving a degree in Israel or having a foreign degree recognized for 10 years.
The Times of Israel Community.