‘Terrorist flag on public TV’ – NGOs urge funding cut to broadcaster

Zionist NGOs encourages communications minister to “clean house” and ensure that “all terror supporters” are purged from the public broadcaster.

By Adina Katz, World Israel News

A Palestinian flag was repeatedly waved on the Arabic-language Makan public broadcasting channel, which is funded by the Israeli government, just days after new Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi expressed interest in slashing funding to the body.

As part of a skit on satirical TV show Alshumo, a female presenter waved the Palestinian flag while joking about National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s directive to the police to remove the flag from public spaces.

“Yes, it’s forbidden to raise the flag like this,” she says, while flipping the flag upside down, “and like this,” she added, then whipping it around in a circular motion.

She then wraps herself and her male co-host in the flag, saying, “This is not allowed, okay?”

The clip sparked outrage among right-wing groups, who decried the Palestinian flag being presented on a government-funded TV channel and said that it reinforced Karhi’s intention to cut public funding to the broadcaster.

“It is unfortunate and outrageous that public money is used for a platform to support incitement and terrorism,” said Shai Glick, CEO of the right-wing Betzalmo NGO, in a statement to Hebrew language media.

Glick urged Karhi to “clean house” and ensure that “all terror supporters” are purged from the public broadcaster.

“We call on the Minister of Communications and the Corporation Council to put an end to the incitement that is taking place on the Makan channel,” stated Matan Peleg, chairman of the Zionist NGO Im Tirtzu, in a press statement.

“[The channel] serves as a [platform] for incitement, and now they’re also waving a terrorist flag in the middle of public broadcasting. If everything that comes out of this channel is incitement, then there’s no justification for its existence.”

Makan released a statement claiming that the backlash regarding the clip was “an orchestrated attack as part of the attempts to threaten the corporation and its people.”

The broadcaster also tried to argue that waving the flag was different than raising it, although the distinction between those two actions wasn’t clear in its statement.

“Palestinian flags were not raised, but the flag was used as part of a satire program,” Makan said.