University students hold flag-waving pro-Palestinian rally

Students at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the southern city of Beersheba in Israel held a pro-Palestinian rally on the campus on Monday 23 May, waving Palestinian flags and singing nationalist songs after being prevented from holding a protest on Nakba Day, which laments the establishment of the State of Israel, last week, writes Emanuel Fabian and staff for The Times of Israel.

Pro-Israel students set up a counter-demonstration opposite the rally and the two sides were kept separate by barriers, police and security personnel. Non-students who arrived with Israeli flags were not granted entry, a measure the university explained as intended to keep the peace. Students were allowed to bring in Israeli flags. Some of those in the pro-Palestinian group held up signs reading Peace. There were several Jewish students on the pro-Palestinian side, which was mostly made up of Arab Israeli students.

Ruvik Danilovich, the mayor of Beersheba, slammed the pro-Palestinian event, writing in a letter to university president, Daniel Chamovitz, that it was “a disgrace”. “As the president, you must have a clear statement about the matter,” Danilovich urged.
Full report on The Times of Israel site