https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/4/24235675/meta-oversight-board-river-to-the-sea-hate-speech-decision
Board says the phrase isn’t inherently supporting Hamas.
Board says the phrase isn’t inherently supporting Hamas.
Palestinian meaning:
“From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate".
Israeli meaning:
And the original platform of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party, Likud, published a version of the slogan, saying that between the sea and the Jordan River, “there will only be Israeli sovereignty.”
Now tell me again which ones want to eradicate people.
This comes up every single time there is a commonly used bigoted slur.
I want to say it was two years ago that a prominent Black actor caught some hell for saying something like "Remember, they killed Jesus". Everyone came out of the woodwork to point out that is a common phrase in African American culture and it refers to the idea that people who are ostensibly your friend can turn on you when you become too successful. And that is true. But there is also a LONG history of anti-semitism in African American culture and it is pretty obvious where the roots of that are.
Or? I think at this point everyone is aware of the origins of the homophobic slur that starts with an 'f' and means "bundle of sticks". And, with deepest apologies to the Romani people, how many of us learned "you jipped me" is actually a racist slur from an episode of House? Kids on a playground don't even know what a Romani person is and they don't mean it in a racist manner. But it makes for a crappier world.
So it should not at all be a stretch to understand that "from the river to the sea" as a rallying cry for Palestinians is anti-Israel. And while there are a LOT of reasons why there would be so much animosity between those two groups, it is still a phrase that argues that they fundamentally cannot coexist (which... is probably true).
Its one of those things where I am not going to bat an eye at a group that is actively being genocided in an open air prison saying it. I am going to throw a LOT of side eye at other groups in the region using that language because it has always been clear that they only support Palestine for the purposes of hurting Israel.
And when random people online put a black box in their facebook profile picture and say it? They are, at best, useful idiots. But they are also continuing to make this about anti-semitism rather than about a nation having tortured a people for decades.
Part of growing up is learning when words we say have alternate meanings. And then deciding to not use those specific words as a way to not look as though we approve of said alternate meanings. And when there are so many better ways to express support for the Palestinian people that don't involve anti-semitic rhetoric that only serves to protect the murderers?