Randwick City Council backflips on decision to fly Palestinian flag – despite backlash from the Greens

A Sydney council has reversed its plan to fly the Palestinian flag over City Hall, out of respect for the large Jewish community.

Randwick City Council had voted in June to fly the Palestinian flag as part of its celebration of the International Day of Solidarity on November 29.

However, following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, Randwick councilor Daniel Rosenfeld put forward the urgent motion to reverse the decision.

The council voted Monday in favor of abandoning plans to fly the Palestinian flag on November 29.

Mr Rosenfeld told the emergency general meeting on Monday that it would be ‘very wrong for Randwick Council to fly the Palestinian flag on November 29’.

“Hamas’s atrocities have deeply affected the Jewish community,” he said.

“Fourteen hundred of my fellow Jews were massacred on October 7, and another 200 were kidnapped.”

Mr Rosenfeld, whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors, said the recent pro-Palestinian protests in Australia had left many Jewish people, including himself, fearful.

A small group of pro-Palestinian protesters, who had marched from Sydney City Hall to the Sydney Opera House, had chanted “f**k Israel” and “f**k the Jews” on October 9.

“It was very disturbing to see people chanting these things, ‘gas the Jews,’ in the town where I live, in the town where my grandparents escaped to,” Rosenfeld said Monday.

Two councilors abstained, but their decision was recorded as against the motion.

Greens councilor Michael Olive tried unsuccessfully to amend the motion to ensure the Palestinian flag would fly over the town hall on November 29.

Mr Olive said the municipality had previously raised the Israeli flag in February.

Greens councilor Kym Chapple said she had “deep concerns” about not flying the Palestinian flag.

She said it was important that the council “recognize the humanity of everyone involved” in Israel’s Hamas war.

“I can’t vote for this,” Ms. Chapple said.

Many residents of Randwick LGA are Jewish, and the town is home to two synagogues, a secondary school, a primary school and an aged care facility.

Randwick Council covers several eastern Sydney suburbs including Clovelly, Coogee, Maroubra, Kingsford, Kensington and Randwick.

Mr. Rosenfeld has also tabled a motion for a minute’s silence “for all those who are effective” in Israel’s Hamas war.

The council held a minute’s silence at the end of Monday’s meeting to honor all victims of the war.

“I also acknowledge all the Palestinians who have been affected,” Rosenfeld said.

Three council members and the mayor voted against the motion on Monday, after a heated debate among those present.

Australian Jewish Association Chief Executive Officer Robert Gregory said he was pleased to see Randwick Council would not fly the Palestinian flag on November 29.

“Terrorism should be condemned and not celebrated,” Gregory said.

“If Randwick Council had gone ahead with this disgraceful move, AJA would have called on all decent people to come to council and protest.

“Raising the Palestinian Arab flag after the atrocities committed in its name is like raising the German flag just after Kristallnacht, the Japanese flag just after Pearl Harbor or raising the Taliban flag after September 11 .’