Palestinian flags in Tel Aviv as tens of thousands protest nation-state law at Arab mass rally

Thousands of people gathered at Tel Aviv's Rabin Square on Saturday evening to march in a protest, led by the Arab community, against the controversial nation-state law.

Organizers said the demonstration drew at least 30,000 people. It was the second such demonstration against the legislation, with last week's gathering, led by the Druze community, drawing at least 50,000 people.

Dozens of the protesters at Saturday's protest carried Palestinian flags, defying a request by the Arab Higher Monitoring Committee, which organized the demonstration, not to wave the flags at the event. At times, some participants chanted in support of Palestine and against Israel, including cries of "In spirit and fire, we will redeem Palestine," the Yedioth daily reported.

Protesters marched from Rabin Square to the Tel Aviv Museum Square, where a rally took place under the banner: "No to the nation-state law, yes to equality."

Organizers of the protest had urged participants not to wave Palestinian flags as to not deter Jewish citizens from attending the protest march in solidarity. But despite the request, dozens of activists from the Arab Knesset party Balad were seen waving Palestinian flags at the demonstration, as were marchers in the streets en route to the rally. Balad had harshly criticized the request not to carry the Palestinian flag.

Other protesters carried signs in Hebrew and Arabic demanding: "Justice and equality now" and others calling the law "apartheid."

Former MK Mohammad Barakeh, who currently heads the Arab Higher Monitoring Committee, told the crowd during a speech that the demonstrators were all at the square to "erase this abomination and remove the stain made by Netanyahu and his government called the nation-state law."

Barakeh told a Times of Israel reporter at the event that the committee had "asked the public not to bring [Palestinian] flags, but I can't control what people do."

On stage, Barakeh was quoted as saying it is the "flag of the oppressed Palestinian people, the flag they are trying to eradicate from history via the nation-state law."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to Twitter to criticize the display, posting a short video of protesters waving Palestinian flags and writing that there was "no better testament to the need for the nation-state law."