A south-west Sydney council has unanimously voted to fly the Palestinian flag until a ceasefire is declared in Gaza.
Councillor Khodr Saleh tabled a motion at the Canterbury-Bankstown Council meeting last night calling for the Palestinian flag to be raised at both Paul Keating Park in Bankstown and the Campsie Administration building.
In the motion, Saleh asked for the flag to be flown "in support of the Palestinian people" until a ceasefire is declared "in the current humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza".
He also proposed a dedicated space in Paul Keating Park for the community to lay wreaths and flowers "for the innocent lives lost".
Saleh noted costs associated with flag raising and flower laying were nominal.
"A small section of tiered seating next to the stairs in Paul Keating Park close to the flag poles is a suitable space for flowers and wreaths where they can be observed and managed by site staff," he said.
The motion was unanimously moved, although several councillors were from absent the meeting.
The decision comes after Randwick Council backflipped on its decision to fly the Palestinian flag "given the current conflict" with Israel and Hamas.
The council voted in June to raise the flag above Randwick Town Hall in honour of International Day of Solidarity on November 29.
However, the decision was overturned after a majority of Randwick's 15 Councillors voted in favour of abandoning the plans following the Hamas incursion on October 7.
"Randwick Council has made this decision to avoid inflaming what is currently a tense international situation and to avoid sending a message to the community that could be mistaken as support for Hamas," a council spokesperson said.
"Council extends our sympathies to all those affected by the violence in Israel and Gaza and in particular the families in our area who have lost loved ones.
"We reassert our commitment to stand against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia wherever it occurs."
