The Palestinian flag is now flying over Fife Council’s headquarters in Glenrothes.
Fife Council confirmed the flag was put up over Fife House on Sunday.
The decision to fly the flag for a week was taken to raise awareness of and protest against the suffering of the people of Gaza, the council said.But the St Andrews Jewish Society questioned why the local authority had apparently taken sides by deciding to fly only the Palestinian flag and not the Israeli flag as well.
Questions have also been raised as to why Fife Council has chosen to express an opinion on this particular conflict when there are so many other high-profile bloody engagements going on worldwide.
It came days after the chairman of the Tayside and Fife Jewish Community said it was concerned the council’s decision could “ferment” anti-Jewish sentiment in Scotland.
Joel Salmon, president of the St Andrews Jewish Society, said: “We applaud the sentiment but not the actions of Fife Council.“Raising the flag of one party is a simplistic act which ignores the fact that there is pain on all sides of this conflict.
“This will only inflate tensions between communities in this area where historically they have been minimal.”
Fife Council Labour leader David Ross said last week he had been in contact with the leaders of all the political groups represented on the council and with the provost.
He said that with some reservations, there is a “general consensus” that Fife Council should fly this flag now.
Asked why the council had chosen Gaza in particular to support and whether it had considered a twin flag display of support, Mr Ross reiterated the view of the council that the flying of the Palestine flag “is not in support of any specific organisation”.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign has announced that it will be protesting outside the Raytheon factory in Glenrothes on Saturday at 3pm.
It follows renewed calls for Westminsterto suspend arms sales to Israelfollowing reports that bombs raining on Gaza may be partly made in Fife.