The latest dispute within Belfast City Council over flags is yet another reminder of how easily political energy can be diverted away from the many material issues facing people in this city.

At a time when families are struggling with the cost of living, public services are under immense strain, and communities across Belfast are crying out for investment, leadership, and stability, it is deeply disappointing to see councillors once again drawn into a battle for symbolic point-scoring. Like with so many issues across the north of Ireland, some cynically view this row as an opportunity to play up to a sectarian gallery.

The role of Belfast’s elected representatives should be clear: to improve the lives of citizens, to deliver quality public services, and to work together to address the serious challenges facing the city. That includes tackling poverty, ensuring housing and infrastructure are properly funded, and strengthening community cohesion.

It is important, however, to recognise the wider context. For many in Belfast and around the world, flying the flag of Palestine is a symbolic act of solidarity with an oppressed people who have endured decades of occupation, displacement, and violence. This is especially relevant as the Israeli state continues to wage its ongoing campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people.

Across Ireland, north and south, communities have stood with Palestine out of a long and well-understood sense of empathy: an understanding of what it means to live under injustice, to struggle for self-determination, and to see civilian populations suffer. It makes perfect sense that many in Belfast feel a moral responsibility to express their solidarity. Acknowledging this does not require taking a side in a culture war. Instead, it requires recognising the depth of concern felt for Palestine by countless people in this city.

To be clear, there should ultimately be no issue with flying the flag of Palestine above Belfast City Hall. It is certainly not the display itself that we take issue with, but the fact that material issues within the council’s remit are falling by the wayside as this row takes place. The people of Belfast deserve a council that serves and represents their interests and views. Politicians arguing over flags for days on end, instead of delivering for those who elected them, does not fulfill that purpose.