By Dr. Guy Bechor
Thousands of Palestinian (PLO) flags were raised during the recent Muslim demonstrations in Western Europe, as well as in the USA and Australia. Even in the town of Ferguson, Missouri, this flag appeared, in demonstrations of violence and looting, after a young African American was killed by the local police, and the question is: What’s the connection between the two? Are the Palestinians so popular around the world?
The answer might be surprising. As a matter of fact, there is nothing much in common with this flag, the black–red–green–white, which was first raised in 1964, and with the Palestinians. Muslim communities around the world, as well as the European left, use this flag as an act of defiance and self determination for themselves, as a symbol of the “anti” flag. It’s about being “Anti”: Anti West, anti global economy, anti modernity and anti capitalism. For many people in the world this flag had become the flag of anarchy, the destruction of the current world order, just the same the red flag was in the past.
The numerous demonstrations where this flag was raised were’nt created in order to support the Palestinians, but to demonstrate against Israel, which is depicted as a Western stronghold, as a center of advanced and developed civilization; the representative of those who made it. Therefore, this is the flag of those who see themselves as the deprived, the unsuccessful, the eternal protestors against those who made it and succeeded. Not themselves they blame for their chronic lack of success, but always others. The meaning of this flag is letting the steam out, shaking off from any personal responsibility, and a never ending search for others to blame.
This is why this flag is the flag of vile hate to the status quo, to the current human order, from some hope of an alternative order, meaning anarchy, just the same as the “Arab-Spring” turned out to be.
While the Palestinians themselves slowly get far from this invented flag, whether Hamas or Islamic Jihad who has their own flags, in order to establish an Islamic rule, or the Palestinian “Liberation Party” raising the black flag of Al-Qaeda, only in the West this flag is spreading. And the same as it was a Middle Eastern invention, in order to invent an imaginary community, it is now being invented in Europe, in order to establish an organized Muslim community there. On the contrary, with such negative global goals it is only causing damage to the Palestinians.
Therefore, when we see demonstrations with this flag, we must understand that the masses who raise it, are not only protesting against Israel. There is a much wider phenomenon here. Against human rights, against the current civil order, against institutional civilization, against Western media, against and against. This flag does not represent any understanding about what’s in favor or agreed.
May every European citizen know, the moment he see this flag in his town, this flag is aimed more against him than against Israel. This is the only flag which unites the Muslims in Europe, Sunni and Shia, Jihadists and Arab left wingers, Muslims and Arab Christians, in order to establish an Islamic force that one day aspire to rule over Europe. May every European citizen know this is the flag that threatens him directly, the society which he lives in, his home, his future and his life. May every citizen know, whether Israeli or Western, this is the flag of eternal hate and revenge, the same as the black flag of ISIS; These are the flags of evil.
This is how the flag of blue and white with the star of David stand defiantly in front of the flag of hate and evil, the hate of the West and modern civilization. Allegedly it is Israel vs. the Palestinians, but in reality it’s the West against those who seek to destroy it and those who abuse it. The blue and white flag should be, therefore, the flag of everyone who is intimidated for the existence of an enlightened West, or what left of it, in a world conflict which is only spreading.
(First published: Yedioth Aharonoth. Translated from Hebrew: Inon Dan)
