Tlaib flies Palestinian flag at US office after Ben Gvir tries to ban them in Israel

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib has placed a Palestinian flag outside of her office in the US Congress in response to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s effort to have the national symbol banned in Israel.

“Palestinians may be banned from flying their flag under an apartheid government, but we can still proudly do it at my office. I’m proud to be a Palestinian American and I want the Palestinian people to know that not all Americans support apartheid. No one can erase our existence,” Tlaib tweets.

Palestinians may be banned from flying their flag under an apartheid government, but we can still proudly do it at my office. I’m proud to be a Palestinian American and I want the Palestinian people to know that not all Americans support apartheid. No one can erase our existence. pic.twitter.com/vuW5ciLo1k

— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) January 25, 2023

Israeli law permits the display of Palestinian flags, though police have wide leeway to take action to maintain public order and regularly remove them from public spaces and confiscate the flags from those waving them.

Ben Gvir has directed police to impose a blanket ban on the flags, but has received pushback from law enforcement over legal constraints.