Israeli flag restored
The Canberra international flag display features 110 flags representing countries with diplomatic missions in Australia.
The missing Israeli flag has been restored to the international flag display in Canberra, but the matter has been referred to the police.
Last week Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon posted a photo showing the flagpole without its flag and asked, “Where has the flag of Israel gone?
“Defaced, removed and now missing, the absence of our nation’s flag from Canberra’s International Flag Display is both noticeable and unacceptable,” he said.
The Canberra international flag display features 110 flags representing countries with diplomatic missions in Australia, including the flag of Iran.
In response to Maimon’s post, shadow minister for Foreign Affairs Michaelia Cash said, “Whatever the reason Israel’s flag is missing from Canberra’s International Flag Display it should be restored as soon as possible.”
National Capital Authority (NCA) staff had reportedly found the pole damaged during a previous patrol of the site and took to rectifying the damage caused to it to enable the reinstallation of the flag.
A NCA spokesperson told The AJN that the flag was “removed without permission or knowledge of the NCA” and that “the matter has been referred to the police”.
On Tuesday, Maimon posted a video showing the flag had been restored.
“Our flag is back, rising, as it should be,” he said.
The international flag display at Commonwealth Place, in the centre of the National Triangle, acknowledges the international presence in the national capital. The flags are flown 24 hours a day and are lit at night. 110 flags in total are now flown, representing 108 missions that have a diplomatic presence in Canberra, as well as flags of the European Union and the United Nations.