Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara strongly opposes the bill proposed by Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Sur Har Melech, which would prohibit the flying of Palestinian Authority flags in institutions of higher education in Israel.
The bill seeks to prohibit the flying of PA flags inside an institution of higher education in the State of Israel. According to the bill, violating the law will lead to a student's suspension for one month. If a student breaks the law twice, he will be permanently expelled from the institution of studies and his right to recognition of the degree will be revoked.
Nakba Day demonstration at Tel Aviv University // Credit: Arab networks
In a letter distributed by the Attorney General to members of the government, it was written that "the bill raises real constitutional difficulties that amount to a constitutional impediment, and therefore it is proposed to oppose it." The detailed reasons for the constitutional difficulty are: infringement of freedom of expression, freedom of protest, freedom of occupation (regarding the sanction to permanently expel a student from academia), and more.
Students waving the PA flag at Tel Aviv University, photo: Gideon Markowitz
The bill was also met with a strong response from institutions of higher education in Israel. The Committee of University Heads strongly condemned the proposal, writing that "this is a problematic and dangerous bill." The president of Tel Aviv University sent a letter to students and faculty members at the university, stating, among other things, that "if we enforce this law, we will probably have to expel from the university a significant part of our students, who will rightly not tolerate such oppression and will not hesitate to wave the flag of the Palestinian Authority."
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