‘Battle of flags’ flares in Israel-Palestinian conflict

• Dozens of Israeli soldiers stood guard in the occupied West Bank town of Huwara,
• Unrest erupted at the funeral of  Al Jazeera TV journalist Shireen Abu Akleh,
• Today, the Israeli army has a heavy presence in Huwara.

Dozens of Israeli soldiers stood guard in the occupied West Bank town of Huwara, where a Palestinian flag fluttered in the warm breeze from an electricity pole.

To the chagrin of Palestinian onlookers, a Jewish settler jumped from a car, hoisted himself up the pole, and tore down the flag.

The soldiers watched on, without intervening.

“Many martyrs fell for the sake of this flag, many people were killed,” said Zafer al-Sayegh, a local store owner. “It’s not possible for us to take it down.”

In recent weeks, the Israel-Palestinian conflict has flared with an intense wave of violence again, and so has the latest round of the “battle of the flags”.

As passions have become inflamed, Israelis have marched with the blue-and-white Star of David standard while for Palestinians the black, white, and green flag with the red triangle has served as a symbol of defiance.

Unrest erupted at the funeral last month of American-Palestinian Al Jazeera TV journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, killed during an army raid in the West Bank when Israeli police attacked mourners waving the flag.

This week, members of the Israeli parliament even announced plans to ban the flying of the Palestinian flag.

Read more: Israeli soldiers shot one Palestinian in West Bank

In Huwara, many storefronts have Hebrew writing, a reminder of more peaceful days when Jews would come to trade with Palestinians.

That goodwill has vanished, as Israelis living in nearby settlements, considered illegal by most of the international community, have repeatedly entered the town’s outskirts to pull down Palestinian flags, angering residents and prompting clashes between Palestinians and the army.

The Palestinians say the army has stood by and watched, refusing to stop what they call settler provocations.

Today, the Israeli army has a heavy presence in Huwara.

The main roads into town are blocked with mounds of dirt and rubble, and squads of nervous soldiers patrol the back streets on foot, making Huwara look like a town under siege.

“They have made an issue of the Palestinian flag,” Wajeh Odeh, a former mayor of the town, told AFP.

“To us, it’s a symbol. It means everything, it means our dignity, it means our right to defend ourselves against the Israelis.”

Read more: Palestinian woman shot dead by Israeli soldier

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