Palestinian Flag Removed In Hoboken After Flag-Raising Causes Controversy

HOBOKEN, NJ — After Hoboken's mayor-elect blasted the current city administration for raising the Palestinian flag in front of City Hall with little input, the flag has come down and the mayor has issued a letter explaining the timing.

As Mayor Ravi Bhalla finishes his last full month in office, Mayor-Elect Emily Jabbour blasted his decision to raise the flag on Tuesday.

"Today, we are seeing first-hand the repercussions of decisions made without a larger community conversation, and without any engagement with myself or my council colleagues," Jabbour said in a social media post on Tuesday afternoon. (See the full post below.)

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the city said the flag has been taken down, but only because flag-raisings often last one day.

"It was slated for one day which is not uncommon as flag raisings can vary," said city spokeswoman, and made reference to a letter Mayor Ravi Bhalla issued Tuesday night (posted below).

In the letter, Bhalla wrote, "Earlier today, the flag of Palestine was raised outside of Hoboken City Hall, at my direction, following requests from local residents of Palestinian descent, and in keeping with the city's long-standing practice of recognizing the many cultures and communities that make Hoboken special...

He said that the flag-raising was not meant as a political statement. But it had since come to his attention, he noted, that the date was on the day of the First Intifada (which took place n 1987).

He said the flag-raising was not scheduled that way on purpose.

"This association was not known when scheduling was approved," he wrote.

The mayor's letter is here:

Jabbour is set to take over as Hoboken mayor in mid-January, and Bhalla will become an assemblyman.

History

The Palestinian flag was also raised indoors in a City Hall ceremony in November 2024, drawing controversy.

And an Israel flag outside City Hall was stolen three times last year.

Unicef has said that more than 50,000 children have been injured or killed during the course of the recent fighting, which started with Hamas' killings at a music festival and elsewhere in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. READ MORE: Hoboken Responds To Anniversary Of Massacre

Jabbour's letter is below.