Police on Friday detained for questioning five people who waved Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags during a demonstration in Haifa against Thursday’s counterterrorism operation in Jenin.
The Israel Police said that the officers demanded that the participants of the demonstration take down the flags, and detained them after they refused to do so. The five were detained for questioning on charges of "hindering the police and violating public order".
Another protester, a 26-year-old man from Daburiyya, east of Nazareth, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.
The police said that during the demonstration it was explained to the protesters “that waving Palestinian flags there could lead to a serious violation of public order."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir recently instructed Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai to order the police to remove any PLO flag from public places and to stop any incitement against the State of Israel.
Ben Gvir passed the order to the Commissioner based on the fact that flying the PLO flag is considered support for a terrorist organization.
The directive from Ben Gvir followed the celebrations of the release of terrorist Karim Younes, in which PLO flags were raised.
Despite the order, PLO flags have been spotted at several demonstrations across the country.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)