We are dismayed at the video and images from Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral showing the Israeli police assaulting mourners at the funeral procession while confiscating flags from civilians and from Abu Akleh’s coffin and hearse. This follows reports of Israeli police confiscating flags from Abu Akleh’s home the day before. Displaying a Palestinian flag is not a crime under Israeli law, and flags are neither weapons nor inherent threats. Such police activity is unnecessarily inflammatory and inevitably escalates tensions rather than decreasing them. We regret that the Israeli police did not exercise greater restraint with Abu Akleh’s grieving family, friends, and admirers—even as they were encountering rock throwing—as we hold Israel to the higher standard that befits a democratic state that respects freedom of conscience. As strong supporters of Israel, Israeli security, and Israeli democracy, we urge Israel to learn from its mistakes and to do better.
