Dublin’s City Hall building. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Dublin’s City Council approved a measure on Monday to fly the Palestinian flag over the Irish capital’s municipality building during the month of May, in solidarity with Palestinians “living under occupation.”

The motion, which was put forth by the far-left socialist People Before Profit Alliance, gained wide support with 42 votes in favor, 11 against and seven abstentions. According to the motion, the Palestinian flag will fly over City Hall beginning May 15 to coincide with the Palestinian “Nakba Day,” or “Day of Catastrophe,” which is meant to counter Israel’s Independence Day.

Dublin City Councilor John Lyons said the move is a “small gesture of solidarity from the elected representatives of Dublin City with a people struggling for self-determination, freedom and dignity in the face of the most horrendous Israeli occupation and apartheid system,” Ireland’s The Journal reported.

The move was condemned by the Zionist group Irish4Israel, which said “such a move will have an extremely negative impact on Dublin’s international image and tourism.”

“It is quite staggering and almost admirable that these public figures spoke with such arrogant conviction, while having such little historical knowledge of the conflict and its complexities,” Irish4Israel added. “Most rattled off a few rehashed old buzzwords while remaining comfortable in their simplistic black and white world view.”