Coral Gables votes not to fly Israeli flag on Oct. 7. What the city will do instead
An Israeli flag will not rise at Coral Gables City Hall next month for the anniversary of Oct. 7.
Commissioners officially scrapped the flag-raising idea after weighing input from residents, instead opting Thursday for other ways to remember the many lives lost in the 2023 attack.
The city now plans to display a banner in front of City Hall to commemorate all the people who have died in the latest war between Israel and Hamas. Plans are also in the works to hold an interfaith vigil and light up City Hall, potentially in the colors of white and blue.
This Oct. 7 marks two years since Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostage, an attack that sparked the ongoing war. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed over 65,000 Palestinians since then, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson told the Miami Herald after the vote that she was satisfied with the outcome, which allows the city to “honor all individuals that were victims of war ... and to support peace.”
The decision ends a debate that began earlier this month in a previous commission meeting after Mayor Vince Lago proposed raising the Israeli flag to commemorate Oct. 7, an item he deferred until Thursday’s meeting after hearing from residents and seeing that commissioners weren’t in consensus. Lago, who said his idea to raise the flag was not meant to be political, said he wanted to give commissioners time to come up with alternative solutions because he wanted unity on the decision.
“I’m going to be clear: If it was up to me and it was only me going to vote on this issue, I would raise the flag,” Lago said Thursday, noting that he heard differing opinions from people ahead of the meeting. “This is not about marginalizing any community.”
The two dominant concerns were questions on whether the city should ever raise a non-U.S. flag at City Hall and if doing so would make some residents feel ostracized and ignored. The city, which has two flagpoles, is currently displaying the U.S. flag and the city’s Centennial flag. Lago has previously led other flag-raising initiatives in the city to show support for other causes, including for the LGBTQ+ community and a flag designed by students at Crystal Academy to spread autism awareness.
Commissioners said they had heard from residents who supported and did not support raising the flag ahead of Thursday’s meeting. All of the residents who spoke at Thursday’s meeting on the topic said they were against raising the Israeli flag. But South Miami Mayor Javier Fernández spoke in support of the flag-raising in the previous commission meeting. Fernandez also spoke about meeting Oct. 7 survivors during a recent trip to Israel.
Israel is a “fully inclusive multi-ethnic society ... it’s not a partisan issue. It’s about standing side-by-side with a country that shares our values — doesn’t just share it, but also lives them,” Fernández said.
Residents like Edward Dabdoub, who was raised Catholic and is of Palestinian descent, told commissioners ahead of Thursday’s vote that while he “strongly supports” honoring the victims of Oct. 7, he believed it should be done “in a way that brings the community together.” Martha Schoolman, who is Jewish, also disagreed with raising the Israeli flag, describing it as “an act of deeply offensive warmongering, out of touch with the views of many in this community.”
Katherine Shehadeh and her husband Jalal “Jay” Shehadeh have lived in the Gables for over a decade. Jalal, who was born in the U.S., said he “grew up in Palestine under Israeli occupation and depression” after his family moved to the region when he was 8.
Katherine Shehadeh told the Herald after the vote that she has mixed feelings. She’s glad the flag will not be raised and supports the idea of hosting an interfaith vigil. But she’s not thrilled about the colors that may light up City Hall. Shehadeh said the city should consider alternative colors, such as America’s red, white and blue, instead of just white and blue, which may cause people to associate it strictly with Israel.
The city has previously lit up City Hall in different colors to show support for the USA, Ukraine, Israel and various causes, including awareness for breast cancer and Alzheimer’s. An online form to request City Hall light displays lists red, blue, orange, purple, yellow, white and green as options.
Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, who had initially indicated support for raising the Israeli flag, said he liked Vice Mayor Anderson’s banner idea, saying it would be a good way to honor the lives lost while also addressing resident concerns. Commissioner Melissa Castro said she would back ideas that did not involve raising a flag.
“We’re here to represent every single resident, and I think what we need to display here is unity,” Castro said. “This commission, at many times, is very divided, but we should not be dividing our residents, and we should not be dividing our community.”
Out of the banner ideas that Anderson presented, commissioners seemed to mostly like one that featured two doves, one on each side of the Earth, with the date of Oct. 7 and the words “In Remembrance” and “May Peace Prevail. Honoring those who lost their lives.”
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Commissioner Richard Lara, who describes himself as a staunch supporter of Israel, spoke strongly in the previous meeting about finding a different way to show support for victims, raising concerns that the flag-raising could be “misinterpreted” as a political statement or sow division or conflict in the community.
“The prevailing point is that peace needs to prevail and honoring those that lost their lives,” Lara said Thursday while discussing one of the proposed banners. “I think it sums up the sentiment beautifully, and it’s inclusive ... because we represent one Coral Gables.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 12:54 PM.
