By Matt Rooney
The birthplace of Frank Sinatra would be unrecognizable to Old Blue Eyes, Save Jerseyans.
On Tuesday, Hoboken’s city government made the regrettable decision to raise the Palestinian flag at city hall.
“I want to be clear that the act of raising this flag is not, in any way, shape or form, intended as a political statement by the City of Hoboken,” explained outgoing Mayor Ravinder Bhalla in an X post. “Hoboken is a municipality and takes no position on international political conflicts because it is not within the purview of municipal governance. As with other communities, this flag raising is an acknowledgment of our Palestinian neighbors – mothers, schoolchildren, brothers and sisters in Hoboken – and an affirmation that they, too, are part of our community. Our City has routinely opened this space to residents who wish to celebrate their heritage, and today was no different.”
Mayor Bhalla went on to defend the decision but offered that “it [had] since been brought to my attention that today’s date holds historical significance related to the First Intifada. I want to state unequivocally that this association was not known when the scheduling was approved. I understand that this coincidence has caused concern for some members of our community. This was not our intention – rather it was simply to recognize local residents who call Hoboken home.”
Are there any coincidences with stuff like this? And are we really supposed to believe that Bhalla didn’t expect the raising of the Palestinian flag to be interpreted as an official political statement by the city? The violent Middle Eastern uprising stretched from December 9, 1987 until the Oslo Accords were signed in the early ’90s. Nearly 2,000 died between both sides of the conflict.
Meanwhile, Mayor-elect Emily Jabbour blasted the move, complaining that “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.”
