Birmingham City Council has snubbed a bid to get the Palestinian flag flying above the council house.
It follows a request by a councillor and an MP claiming the move would show solidarity with the people in Gaza.
Coun Majid Mahmood (Labour, Hodge Hill) made the plea, backed by Perry Barr Labour MP Khalid Mahmood.
The men said flying the flag over the council house would let the Palestinian people know that Birmingham residents were standing with them as air strikes by Israel continued.
Mr Mahmood said: 鈥淔lying the flag would send a very strong message to the people in Gaza that we are in solidarity with them.
鈥淭hese are just civilians who have been caught up in the most horrendous conflict and have had to put up with so much violence.
鈥淚t鈥檚 only a tiny bit of land, but a large swathe of the population are under 17 and having to endure such barbaric killings.鈥
He said councils in Preston and Bradford had already put up the Palestinian flags, and Manchester was also set to do so.
But Birmingham City Council has refused their request.
A spokesman said: 鈥淭he city council has a long-standing protocol for the flying of flags from the Council House.
鈥淥rdinarily, the city council flag flies and the only exceptions to this are visits by the monarch (when Royal Standard flies) and birthdays for the Royal family (when the Union flag is raised).
鈥淎lso, flags fly on national days 鈥 St George鈥檚 for England, Scottish for St Andrew鈥檚 and Welsh for St David鈥檚. The city council flag is lowered if a serving or past member of the council passes away.鈥
Meanwhile, an impromptu demonstration against Israel鈥檚 shelling of Gaza also took place in Birmingham鈥檚 Broad Street late on Saturday, into the early hours of Sunday.
As clubbers and revellers came out of bars and clubs, a convoy of cars flying the Palestinian flag moved slowly down Broad Street.
No-one was immediately available for comment from West Midlands Police.
