The recently added flag of Palestine hanging in the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center.

When Hofstra University students returned from spring break, they were greeted by a small but significant change in the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center: 

The Palestinian flag was raised among the international flags representing the countries of all international students who attend Hofstra. Although thousands of students pass beneath these flags each day, the addition of the Palestinian flag was a hard-fought achievment and more than just a flag to some students, it was a symbol of activism for many. 

“I think that it’s really beautiful how we were able to make a lot of Palestinians on campus feel represented,” said Alisha Paracha, a sophomore political science major and the vice president of Student Voices for Palestine (SVP). “It also pushes the point of how resisting and constant activism does create change.”      

The effort to raise the Palestinian flag was a process that took months of conversation between SVP and the university administration. This initiative gained momentum after a town hall meeting on Nov. 18, when a student asked Hofstra President Susan Poser if the Palestinian flag could be added. 

Poser said, “I believe our policy on that is that it is from recognized sovereign countries, and that’s why it’s not there.” Thus, sparking a wave of many emotional responses on social media among students. 

A plaque lays on the wall at the entrance of the Student Center explaining the display of international flags. It reads as the following: 

“Above you, among the Hofstra class banners, hang international flags representing all the countries of origin that make up your vibrant student body. The flags are hung in a randomized order and are updated as appropriate by the Office of International Student Affairs. If you have questions or concerns please reach out to International@Hofstra.edu.” 

Frustrated by Poser’s initial response, SVP representatives including Paracha, met with administrators like Jessica Eads, senior vice president for Student Enrollment, Engagement and Success, and Cornell Craig, vice president for Equity and Inclusion, to discuss why Palestine wasn’t recognized and what the path moving forward was. Soon after, Poser scheduled a meeting allowing members of SVP to state their thoughts.

According to Paracha, one of the university’s main concerns over raising the Palestinian flag was that the process to raise the flag would be a complicated one and they did not see enough international students from Palestine at Hofstra. Hofstra cited many logistical challenges to raising the flag such as the process of fireproofing the flag, hiring a technician to operate a crane to hang the flag and then coordinating a convenient time to install it without disrupting student traffic. 

“At first, it didn’t seem like she would be on board with it,” Paracha said. “There was a lot of back-and-forth conversations about how we felt as SVP and how she and the university felt.”

However, a couple of days later an email was sent to SVP from Eads requesting a second meeting to reconsider raising the Palestinian flag. 

Lincoln Annaballi, president of Hofstra’s Student Government Association (SGA) helped mediate the discussion between SVP and the administration. 

In a statement on behalf of all of SGA, Anniballi said, “SGA advocated to raise the many national flags in the Student Center that were missing to represent students’ national identities and cultures. SGA helped the administration write the new plaque in the student center that accompanied the numerous additional flags.”

Adam Weiss, a senior English major who identifies as Jewish, understands why the flag of Palestine was raised but believes the war between Hamas and Israel is far more complicated than what is displayed on social media. 

“It’s logical to have both flags rather than only one and, to be fair, both Israel and Palestine historically have claims to the lands,” Weiss said. “Excluding the rougher politics of the situation, it makes sense that they’re deciding to hang the Palestinian flag; the Israeli one has been in the rafters as long as I can remember.”

However, Weiss said he believes that nuance is key to this issue. “I think there’s a difference between being Jewish and supporting Israel. I know people who are Jewish that don’t support Israel. The issue is that a lot of people equate being Jewish [to] being a Zionist … This war is a difficult topic to discuss due to the amount of winding roots that it has,” Weiss said. 

“A lot of protestors only look at the casualties on the Palestinian side and ask why Israel is killing innocent Palestinians, not looking at Israel’s true goal of saving themselves and the rest of the world from Hamas … At the end of the day, I think there’s a lot of nuances to this issue that has spanned decades.”

“Nevertheless, I think it’s right that the flag is raised to represent the people who are from Palestine and to represent both groups rather than one,” Weiss said. “Ideally, there would be a two-state solution where everyone can live happily. But we do not live in an ideal world and the land is still fully Israel.”       

Some students were ecstatic about the Palestine flag’s presence at Hofstra. Iffaat Saboor is a sophomore majoring in biology who supports the Palestinian flag being raised and said he thinks Hofstra responded adequately to the requests made by students. 

“I absolutely support it because we have all of the nation’s flags held up in the Student Center … I think people have to understand that Palestine is a country, and the fact that it’s up there is a huge accomplishment,” Saboor said. “By putting up the flag, I feel like [Hofstra has] responded adequately to what we wanted as students for Palestinian rights.”

Others were more critical of Hofstra’s delay in placing the flag in the Student Center. Yasmine Elebisy, a sophomore health science major, has been an active member in both SVP and the Muslim Student Association (MSA). 

“I honestly think they were against it entirely; they’ve been trying so hard to silence us about the Palestine movement and I think that they wanted to push back as much as they could,” Elebisy said. “But they realized that a lot of students were for it and didn’t want to stay silent about it anymore.”

Yusef Samad, a sophomore finance major and president of MSA, echoed similar views.

“Everybody in the MSA was super thrilled that it was here, but I do think there’s more work to be done than just the flag in the room,” Samad said. 

From Samad’s perspective as a leader in the MSA, he believes Hofstra’s recognition came after persistent student pressure.

 “There’s a lot of pushbacks from SGA and administration on what we can and can’t say or [do] regarding Palestine, so I think that itself needs to be changed as well,” Samad said.

Saboor agrees that SVP should remain vigilant. 

“This is a great reflection on [Hofstra’s] part but I do feel like they have to continue making these efforts because in the past, we’ve faced repercussions from Hofstra,” Saboor said.

However, the Palestinian flag has also received criticism or indifferent opinions from students. Priya Hanjan, a sophomore English major, admitted she feels neutral about the flag. 

“I’m 50/50, on the fence because I don’t really follow along with politics, but I think it’s really good that it’s been spread to raise awareness,” Hanjan said. 

Rohan Nambiar is a senior finance major who was not aware of the flag change. 

“I think it’s fine, I don’t have a problem with it,” Nambiar said. “I think there’s always going to be criticism no matter what you do … I think it’s just something that people are going to have to deal with.”

Hofstra’s Hillel office was asked for an in-person interview but did not respond.

In the past year, SVP has coordinated different types of events engaging student activism for Palestine including protests, demonstrations and candlelight vigils. In the midst of the United States’ current political climate with President Donald Trump’s administration cracking down on student protestors who they deem are antisemitic through student protests, more students are becoming cautious about raising their voice. 

Organizations such as SVP have been vocal about what students can do to protect themselves while advocating for human rights. One major concern stems from Hofstra’s decision to ban masks at on-campus demonstrations to ensure all protestors are Hofstra students. 

“In [SVP’s] opinion, we believe that they shouldn’t have to choose between advocating for something they believe is so important and them getting kicked out of the country,” Paracha said. 

SVP made an announcement telling participants that if they felt unsafe because of someone recording them, they should always prioritize their safety first because that is what matters first. She also highlighted alternatives for those who are more cautious about participating in protests to stay in the back of the protests because it still creates change but doesn’t force the person to be in the forefront of the attention. 

“Always weigh your options and your risks … if you feel like this is something that you’re not personally comfortable with, don’t force yourself,” Samad said. “But it is important that we show up and we make our voices heard if we want change.     

For some, the flag’s addition is a moment of pride and resistance. For others, it’s a turning point for political disagreement on campus. But all students seem to agree on one thing – the conversation on identity, activism and inclusion is far from over at Hofstra University.