After the brutal Hamas attack last October, which Israel says killed 1,200 people, anti-war demonstrations in Israel were quashed. Some Palestinian citizens of Israel were even arrested on their way to small vigils, which by law do not require a police permit. Legal aid groups documented hundreds of people who were jailed, faced job loss or suspension, or disciplinary proceedings at universities, often for social media posts that appeared to question Israel's invasion of Gaza.
That's why it was such an unusual sight, one recent Saturday afternoon, when hundreds of people marched through the Arab town of Deir Hanna, in Israel's Galilee, loudly protesting the Gaza war.
Police had banned the Palestinian flag — black, white and green with a red triangle. But like many, 25-year-old Haj Amir defiantly hoisted one over his shoulder.