One of the most heinous things to tell a Palestinian is that they lack an “internationally recognized sovereign state.” This common yet inaccurate statement has long been used to erase and dehumanize the Palestinian identity.

At the Hofstra University Town Hall on Nov. 18, President Susan Poser was asked by a Palestinian student about the possibility of hanging the Palestinian flag among the flags of other nations that are hung in the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center.

The question was asked in hopes of representing Palestinian students enrolled at Hofstra by inquiring about the process of getting a flag hung in the student center. Instead of an informed and cooperative response, Poser said, “I believe our policy on that is that it is from recognized sovereign countries, and that’s why it’s not there.”

When the student corrected her saying that Palestine is indeed recognized, Poser doubled down on her statement and repeated, “Well it’s not internationally recognized as a sovereign country.”

Currently, 146 of the 193 countries represented in the United Nations recognize a Palestinian state, with the most recent official recognition coming from Armenia on June 21 of this year. With such widespread recognition, Palestine is, in fact, internationally recognized as a sovereign country.

Not only does President Poser perpetuate an anti-Palestinian sentiment, but she also fails to accurately describe the process of hanging flags in the student center. The process comes from the Office of International Student Affairs and involves using an I-20 form. This is a government document that certifies a student can legally study in the United States with nonimmigrant status and is financially capable to stay during this duration. This form is also used to gauge what countries international students at Hofstra come from.

This is where the problem stems. The United States does not recognize Palestine as a sovereign country, so the form naturally fails to accurately acknowledge a Palestinian student’s place of origin.

Had President Poser simply said that Hofstra only raises the flags of countries recognized by the United States, that would have been a different story. Instead, she chose to confidently announce a damaging lie to the entire Town Hall that Palestine was not recognized internationally.

My concern with this is that President Poser perpetuated false and dangerous rhetoric against Palestinians to the broader Hofstra community. A lot of misinformation surrounding the Palestinian identity already exists. We as Palestinians face consistent dehumanization, especially when our efforts to make our voices heard are shut down, dismissed and deflected. Despite being told that her comments at the Town Hall were deeply insulting to Palestinians, Poser has yet to issue an apology or show accountability for her false statements.

Regardless of the process behind hanging these flags, they represent the Hofstra student body and its diverse members. A plaque in the student center states, “Above you, among the Hofstra Class banners, hang the international flags representing all the countries of origin that make up our vibrant student body. The flags are hung in a randomized order and are updated as appropriate by the Office of International Student Affairs.”

The flags hanging in the student center convey a sense of unity and belonging to the wider community. When I first toured this school, the first thing I looked for when I walked in was the Palestinian flag. My expectations were low, and when I couldn’t find it, I decided I was going to make an effort to get it up there. My goal since the very start of my Hofstra journey has been to be a voice for my Palestinian brothers and sisters, and I will keep fighting for representation and the acknowledgment of our struggle.