Mayors across France have flown Palestinian flags in defiance of a government order to take them down, before it joins several other European and Western countries in recognising a Palestinian state.
France’s Ministry of the Interior, as of Monday morning, said 21 town halls had raised the Palestinian flag, according to its own count, despite Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who belongs to the right-wing Republicans party, telling municipal governments to observe “neutrality”. Many more municipal governments were expected to join those who chose to hoist the flag.
