National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Sunday instructed Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai to order the police to remove any Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flag from public places and to stop any incitement against the State of Israel.
The Minister delivered to the Office of the Commissioner of Police an order which said that every police officer of any rank, during a shift, will be permitted to remove PLO flags.
Ben Gvir passed the order to the Commissioner based on the fact that flying the PLO flag is considered support for a terrorist organization.
"It is inconceivable that lawbreakers will wave terrorist flags, incite and encourage terrorism, and therefore I ordered the removal of the flags of support for terrorism from the public space and to stop the incitement against the State of Israel. Identifying with a terrorist and harming IDF soldiers is not covered under freedom of speech," said Ben Gvir.
Matan Peleg, chairman of the Im Tirtzu movement, said that this is "a very important day for governance, an important day for Zionism and the State of Israel."
"It should be understood that the purpose of flying the PLO flag is to rebel against the State of Israel and convey a message that there is room for a terrorist entity within the territory of the country. Today it is already clear to everyone what the connection is between the waving of the terrorist flag and the encouragement of the nationalist extremism and violence of the Israeli Arabs. We have seen the results of the lawlessness prominently in the atrocities last year and the incident must not repeat itself," Peleg said.
Earlier on Sunday, Ben Gvir instructed Shabtai to open an extensive investigation into the celebrations following the release of the terrorist Karim Younes after the minister ordered the police to act to prevent such celebrations.
The commissioner will run an internal investigation and present the findings to the minister.
Younes, who was found guilty of murdering IDF soldier Avraham Bromberg in 1980, was released on Thursday after 40 years in prison. The National Security Minister and the Israel Prisons Service announced several instructions to prevent celebrations that would incite and support terrorism.
The minister ordered the police not to allow the erection of tents in honor of murderers nor holding celebrations that support and encourage terrorism. This order was only followed partially, but the family and friends of the terrorist built a tent for the celebrations, and Palestinian Authority officials even came to visit.