Under National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the authorities have undertaken a broad crackdown on Palestinian symbols, with police instructed to remove flags, even though they are legal.<\/p>\n
After the incident, Sinclair received what he describes as an unexpected and incredible amount of solidarity, even from many who told him they did not like his choice of kippa. He was determined to return to the same shop and find a replacement.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI went in, and I said to the guy, \u2018Hi, do you remember me?\u2019 And he looked at me, and he was like, \u2018Not really,\u2019\u201d Sinclair told The Times of Israel over the phone. \u201cI said to him, I once bought from you a kippa with the flag of Israel and Palestine on it. At that point, he remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Sinclair asked the store owner if he would make another one for him.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said \u2018Sure,\u2019 and he was very nonchalant, so I asked him if he had heard what had happened to me. He had not,\u201d Sinclair recounted. \u201cI was kind of surprised, but I guess that just shows you that everyone lives in their own little social media and news bubbles.\u201d<\/p>\n The man heard the story and agreed to make the new kippa (actually two, since Sinclair said this time he wants a spare one \u201cjust in case of eventualities\u201d), but he asked to keep things quiet as the issue was \u201csensitive.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Since his detention, Sinclair has shared his concern and has not publicly disclosed the store\u2019s name, though several people have asked him where they can get the same kippa.<\/p>\n Sinclair started wearing a kippah featuring the two flags for several reasons. Besides showcasing his belief in coexistence, he didn\u2019t want to be easily put in the same box as most kippa-wearing men in Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cKippas are a very political symbol in Israel,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re a sociologist or just a regular Israeli who pays attention to this stuff, you can tell a lot about a person from the kind of kippa they wear.\u201d<\/p>\n Knitted kippas in particular are usually associated with the Religious Zionist community (as opposed to, for example, velvet black kippas common among ultra-Orthodox men).<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, it\u2019s a generalization, and I know that there are exceptions, but if you look at the voting patterns of Israel, typically, men who wear kippas tend to lean right, be pro-settlements, anti-Palestinian statehood, and Orthodox,\u201d he added. \u201cIt kind of conveys a certain religious and political approach.\u201d<\/p>\n Sinclair described himself as a \u201ctraditional, observant, egalitarian, conservative Jew,\u201d and a liberal Zionist (one of his books is titled \u201cLoving the Real Israel: An Educational Agenda for Liberal Zionism\u201d).<\/p>\n Sinclair acknowledged that for many in Israel, the Palestinian flag is a hard symbol to see, especially after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel, which left thousands killed, wounded, and kidnapped.<\/p>\n \u201c[The Palestinian flag] has always been somewhat of a controversial symbol, but I know that it has gotten more controversial and more triggering to people after October 7,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not naive. I know that for some people, it\u2019s a hard thing to see, and it\u2019s hard for me as well. I\u2019m not immune to those feelings of fear, skepticism, and anger.\u201d<\/p>\n \t At the same time, Sinclair said that for him, the key is the choice of wearing both flags at the same time.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very deliberately walking around with the two symbols,\u201d he explained. \u201cI love, and I feel pride about the Israeli flag, which is my flag, and is special to me as an Israeli and as a Zionist. I think that wearing both flags together is the exact opposite of what Hamas wants; it\u2019s everything that Hamas is against: coexistence, Israel, peace, our right to have self-determination as Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the years, Sinclair encountered many reactions to his kippa. The vast majority of people obviously do not pay attention to it, but when someone does, it often sparks an interesting conversation.<\/p>\n Now, the educator is happy he can start wearing his kippa again, and he hopes to have more interesting conversations.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel quite strongly that I don\u2019t want what happened to intimidate me [and prevent me] from continuing to do what I feel is right,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tKippahs for sale in Jerusalem. on January 3, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-16-at-22.17.52-300x480.jpeg\")
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\n\t\tAlex Sinclair wearing a new kippa featuring the Israeli and Palestinian flags in June 2026. (Courtesy)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP__20250921__76BL2YQ__v5__HighRes__TopshotFrancePoliticsDiplomacyPalestinianIsrael-e1758569132485-.jpeg\")
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\n\t\tPalestinian and Israeli flags, along with a dove clutching an olive branch, are projected on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, September 21, 2025. (Bertrand GUAY \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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