Ramati, who before last year’s local elections proposed drawing up lists of Jewish merchants in a Haifa open-air market as to boost business of Jewish shops, told Haaretz that he wasn’t opposed to rainbow flags but that his flag was the national flag. The violation of the city council’s boundaries as at yesterday’s meeting strips it of all meaning.” “Only one thing is impermissible in my eyes - disrespect to the point of violence and losing one’s cool. Writing on Facebook after the meeting, Kalisch Rotem said that elected officials, in contrast to public servants, can and even should wave the flags that reflect their identities. > Read more: Israel's education minister now says he opposes gay 'conversion therapy' ■ Porn, pain and guilt: Religious homosexual Israelis recount 'conversion therapy' ■ The Mideast's Stonewall? From Iraq to Morocco, the fight for LGBTQ rights rages on Yoav Ramati during the council meeting, August 6, 2019. “We must be very sensitive about expressing personal opinions in workplaces that provide service to the public,” the mayor said in response to the complaint. Shalom brought the flags into the meeting to protest Kalisch Rotem’s response to a complaint about a city librarian who placed a miniature Gay Pride flag on her desk at work last month.
