View source for From the river to the sea

{{Short description|Political phrase related to Palestine}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
[[File:Occupied Palestinian Territories.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Map showing Israel and the Palestinian Territories as outlined by the [[Oslo Accords]]. The Jordan River is on the right, and the Mediterranean Sea is on the left.]]
"'''From the river to the sea'''" ({{langx|ar|من النهر إلى البحر|min an-nahr ʾilā l-baḥr}}; {{langx|apc-PS|label=[[Palestinian Arabic]]|من المية للمية|min il-ṃayye la-l-ṃayye|lit=from the water to the water}})<ref>{{Cite web |last=سلامة غمري |first=هبة |date=3 Nov 2023 |title="فلسطين من النهر إلى البحر".. ماذا يعني الشعار ومن أين جاء؟ |url=https://icona.almasryalyoum.com/%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%87%D8%B1-%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8%A7-%D9%8A%D8%B9%D9%86%D9%8A/ |website=Icona - Al-Masry Al-Youm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=عرب ٤٨ |date=2017-11-02 |title=الاحتلال يقمع وقفة منددة بوعد بلفور بالقدس |url=https://www.arab48.com/%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA/%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/2017/11/02/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%8A%D9%82%D9%85%D8%B9-%D9%88%D9%82%D9%81%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D9%84%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3- |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=موقع عرب 48 }}</ref> is a political phrase that refers geographically to the area between the [[Jordan River]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]], an area historically called [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]],<ref name="timesofisrael.com">{{cite news|first=Ben|last=Sales|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/from-the-river-to-the-sea-the-slogan-that-led-to-rashida-tlaibs-censure-explained/|title='From the river to the sea': The slogan that led to Rashida Tlaib's censure, explained|newspaper=[[The Times of Israel]]|date=8 November 2023|access-date=12 December 2023}}</ref> which today includes [[Israel]] and the [[Palestinian territories]] of the [[Israeli occupation of the West Bank|occupied]] [[West Bank]] and the [[Blockade of the Gaza Strip|blockaded]] [[Gaza Strip]].<ref name="Economist2023">{{cite news |date=28 October 2023 |title=The culture war over the Gaza war |url=https://www.economist.com/international/2023/10/28/the-culture-war-over-the-gaza-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030143154/https://www.economist.com/international/2023/10/28/the-culture-war-over-the-gaza-war |archive-date=30 October 2023 |access-date=29 October 2023 |newspaper=[[The Economist]]}}</ref><ref name="WashingtonPost2023">{{Cite news |first=Jack|last=Stripling |date=31 December 2023 |title=Colleges braced for antisemitism and violence. It's happening. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/10/31/antisemitism-college-campuses-jewish-hamas-gaza/ |access-date=1 November 2023 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en}}</ref> The phrase and similar phrases have been used both by Palestinian and Israeli politicians to mean that the area should consist of one state.
In the 1960s, the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) used it to call for what they saw as a "decolonized" state encompassing the entirety of [[Mandatory Palestine]].<ref name="Kelley 2019 pp. pp.69–91">{{cite journal|first=Robin|last=Kelley|date=Summer 2019|title=From the River to the Sea to Every Mountain Top: Solidarity as Worldmaking|journal=[[Journal of Palestine Studies]]|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|location=Washington, D.C.|volume=48|issue=4|pages=69–91|doi=10.1525/jps.2019.48.4.69|jstor=26873236 |s2cid=204447333 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26873236|quote= The Likud Party's founding charter reinforces this vision in its statement that "between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty."... During the mid-1960s, the PLO embraced the slogan, but it meant something altogether different from the Zionist vision of Jewish colonization. Instead, the 1964 and 1968 charters of the Palestine National Council (PNC) demanded "the recovery of the usurped homeland in its entirety" and the restoration of land and rights-including the right of self-determination-to the indigenous population. In other words, the PNC was calling for decolonization, but this did not mean the elimination or exclusion of all Jews from a Palestinian nation-only the settlers or colonists. According to the 1964 Charter, "Jews who are of Palestinian origin shall be considered Palestinians if they are willing to live peacefully and loyally in Palestine.' Following the 1967 war, the Arab National Movement, led by Dr. George Habash, merged with Youth for Revenge and the Palestine Liberation Front to form the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The PFLP embraced a Palestinian identity rooted in radical, Third World-oriented nationalism, officially identifying as Marxist-Leninist two years later. It envisioned a single, democratic, potentially socialist Palestinian state in which all peoples would enjoy citizenship. Likewise, Fatah leaders shifted from promoting the expulsion of settlers to embracing all Jews as citizens in a secular, democratic state. As one Fatah leader explained in early 1969, "If we are fighting a Jewish state of a racial kind, which had driven the Arabs out of their lands, it is not so as to replace it with an Arab state which would in turn drive out the Jews... We are ready to look at anything with all our negotiating partners once our right to live in our homeland is recognized." Thus by 1969, "Free Palestine from the river to the sea" came to mean one democratic secular state that would supersede the ethno-religious state of Israel. Moreover, the Palestinian national movement had come to see itself as part of a global anti-imperialist movement in solidarity with other nonaligned or socialist nations, or revolutionary movements like the Black Panthers.}}</ref> By 1969, after several revisions, the PLO used the phrase to call for [[One-state solution|a single democratic state for Arabs and Jews]], that would replace Israel.<ref name="Kelley 2019 pp. pp.69–91" />
Many pro-Palestinian activists consider it "a call for peace and equality" after decades of military rule over Palestinians, while for many Jews it is seen as a call for the destruction of Israel.<ref name="AP6words">{{Cite web |date=10 November 2023 |title='From the river to the sea': Why a 6-word phrase sparks fury and passion over the Israel-Hamas war |url=https://apnews.com/article/river-sea-israel-gaza-hamas-protests-d7abbd756f481fe50b6fa5c0b907cd49 |work=[[Associated Press News]]}}</ref> [[Hamas]] used the phrase in its [[2017 Hamas charter|2017 charter]]. Usage of the phrase by such Palestinian militant groups has led critics to say that it advocates for the dismantling of [[Israel]], and the [[Ethnic cleansing|removal]] or [[Genocide|extermination]] of its Jewish population.<ref name="dawn.com">{{Cite web |date=28 October 2023 |title='From the river to the sea': Why a chant for the freedom of an occupied people became so provocative |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1784138 |access-date=31 October 2023 |website=Dawn.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="AP6words" /> Some countries have considered criminalizing its use as an antisemitic call for violence.<ref name="nos.nl-2023">{{Cite web |date=25 October 2023 |title='From the river to the sea'-leus is geweldsoproep, vindt Kamermeerderheid |trans-title='From the river to the sea' slogan is a call for violence, according to the majority in the House of Representatives |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2495345-from-the-river-to-the-sea-leus-is-geweldsoproep-vindt-kamermeerderheid |access-date=2 November 2023 |website=nos.nl |language=nl |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref name="Eichner-2023">{{Cite news |last=Eichner |first=Itamar |date=25 October 2023 |title=Austria's Nehammer says pro-Hamas chants will become criminal offense |language=en |work=[[Ynetnews]] |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hybmet8ma |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
An early Zionist slogan envisaged statehood extending over the two banks of the Jordan river, and when that vision proved impractical, it was substituted by the idea of a [[Greater Israel]], an entity conceived as extending from the Jordan to the sea.<ref>According to [[David Kimche]], cited by [[Ethan Bronner]], [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/14/weekinreview/why-greater-israel-never-came-to-be.html 'Why 'Greater Israel' Never Came to Be,'] [[New York Times]] 14 August 2005.</ref><ref>{{cite book |quote=Prior to the establishment of Israel, both [[Ze'ev Jabotinsky]] and [[Menachem Begin]] subscribed to the idea that the goal of Zionism was one of 'fulfilling what they believed was God's biblical promise of a Jewish homeland from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, and even beyond'. |first=Stuart E. |last=Eizenstat |author-link=Stuart E. Eizenstat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZdIwDwAAQBAJ&dq=Zionism-slogan%2Bfrom+the+Jordan+to+the+sea&pg=PA439 |title=President Carter: The White House Years |publisher=[[St. Martin's Publishing Group]] |date=2018 |isbn=978-1-250-10457-1 |page=439}}</ref> The phrase has also been used by Israeli politicians. The 1977 election manifesto of the right-wing Israeli [[Likud]] party said: "Between the sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty."<ref name="Laquer2001" /><ref name="JVLLikud" /><ref name="Gdnwhatmean" /> Similar wording, such as referring to the area "west of the Jordan river", has also been used more recently by other Israeli politicians,<ref name="timesofisrael.com" /> including Israeli prime minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] on 18 January 2024.<ref name="AJ111"/>
== Historical usage ==
{{See also|Mandatory Palestine|Israeli–Palestinian conflict}}
The precise origins of the phrase are disputed.<ref name="Coryton-2023">{{Cite journal |last=Coryton |first=Demitri |date=22 November 2023 |title="From the river to the sea" – is this slogan anti-Semitic? |url= |journal=Education Journal |issue=542}}</ref> According to the American historian [[Robin D. G. Kelley]], the phrase "began as a [[Zionism|Zionist]] slogan signifying the boundaries of [[Land of Israel|''Eretz Israel'']]."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kelley |first1=Robin D.G |date=Summer 2019 |title=From the River to the Sea to Every Mountain Top: Solidarity as Worldmaking |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26873236 |journal=[[Journal of Palestine Studies]] |volume=48 |issue=2 |pages=78 |doi= 10.1525/jps.2019.48.4.69|jstor=26873236 |access-date=April 29, 2024|quote=First, the odious phrase in question began as a Zionist slogan signifying the boundaries of Eretz Israel. The Likud Party’s founding charter reinforces this vision}}</ref> The Israeli-American historian [[Omer Bartov]] notes that Zionist usage of such language predates the [[Israeli Declaration of Independence|establishment]] of the State of Israel in 1948 and began with the [[Revisionist Zionism|Revisionist movement]] of Zionism led by [[Ze'ev Jabotinsky]], which spoke of establishing a Jewish state in all of Palestine and had a [[The East Bank of the Jordan (song)|song]] which includes: "The Jordan has two banks; this one is ours, and the other one too," suggesting a Jewish state extending even beyond the Jordan River.<ref name="bbc.com">{{Cite web |date=2023-11-14 |title="من النهر إلى البحر" شعار أثار الجدل في أوروبا وبريطانيا، فما تاريخ هذا الشعار؟ |url=https://www.bbc.com/arabic/67420634 |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=BBC News عربي |language=ar}}</ref> In 1977, the concept appeared in an election manifesto of the Israeli political party [[Likud]], which stated that "between the sea and the Jordan there will be only Israeli sovereignty".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Original Party Platform of the Likud Party |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/original-party-platform-of-the-likud-party |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Zionism's Political Unconscious |url=https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/zionism-s-political-unconscious |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=Verso |language=en}}</ref> The current ideology of the Israeli government in 2024 is rooted in [[Revisionist Zionism]], which sought the entire territory of Mandatory Palestine.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Israeli far right's plans for expulsion and expansion|url=https://mondediplo.com/2023/12/02gaza|publisher=Le Monde diplomatique|date=December 2023|quote="The political-ideological lineage of the Likud party, which Binyamin Netanyahu has run since 2005 (and before that in 1996-99) can be traced back to a fascist-inspired strain of 'revisionist Zionism' which emerged in the interwar period. Before Israel’s foundation, this movement campaigned for the Zionist project to incorporate the entire territory of the British mandate on both banks of the Jordan, including Transjordania, which Britain granted to the Hashemite dynasty in 1921, creating present-day Jordan. Later, having focused its ambition on mandatory Palestine, the movement criticised the Zionism favoured by David Ben Gurion’s Labour movement (MAPAI), for having stopped fighting in 1949 before it took the West Bank and Gaza."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2018-12-16/ty-article-opinion/.premium/hamas-owes-its-from-the-river-to-the-sea-slogan-to-zionists/0000017f-deef-d3ff-a7ff-ffef96ca0000|title=Hamas owes its 'Palestine from the river to the sea' slogan to Zionism|first=Seraj|last=Assi|date=16 December 2018|newspaper=Haaretz|quote=The irony is that it wasn’t the Palestinians, but the Zionists, who first invented this "from the river to the sea" mantra. And that was nearly half a century before the First Intifada and the birth of Hamas.}}</ref>
The Middle East scholar [[Elliott Colla]] says that the relevant historical context for understanding "from the river to the sea" is the history of partition and fragmentation in Palestine, along with Israeli appropriation and annexation of Palestinian lands.<ref name="Colla-20233">{{Cite web |last=Colla |first=Elliott |author-link=Elliott Colla |date=November 16, 2023 |title=On the history, meaning, and power of "From the River To the Sea" |url=https://mondoweiss.net/2023/11/on-the-history-meaning-and-power-of-from-the-river-to-the-sea/ |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=[[Mondoweiss]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In his opinion, these include: the [[1947 Partition plan for Palestine|1947 UN Partition plan for Palestine]], which proposed to divide the land between the river and the sea; the [[Nakba|1948 Nakba]], in which that plan materialized; the [[1967 War]], in which Israel occupied the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]]; the [[Oslo Accords]], that (in his view) fragmented the West Bank into [[Palestinian enclaves]] (that he describes as "an [[archipelago]] of [[Bantustans]] surrounded by [[Israeli settlements]], bases, and checkpoints"); and the [[Israeli West Bank barrier|Israeli separation wall]] first erected after the [[Second Intifada]].<ref name="Colla-20233" />
Another element of historical context is given by Maha Nassar from University of Arizona. According to her, the phrase "from the river to the sea" was used even before 1967, and expressed then the hope of the Palestinians free themselves not only from the rule of Israel, but also from the rule of [[Jordanian annexation of the West Bank|Jordan in the West Bank]] and from the rule of [[Occupation of the Gaza Strip by the United Arab Republic|Egypt in the Gaza strip]].<ref name="Hernandez 2023 v887" />
Palestinian usage of this phrase is also unclear. Kelley writes that the phrase was adopted by the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] in the mid-1960s; <ref name=":JPS">{{Cite journal |last=Muslih |first=Muhammad |date=1990-07-01 |title=Towards Coexistence: An Analysis of the Resolutions of the Palestine National Council |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2307/2537386 |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |language=en |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=3–29 |doi=10.2307/2537386 |issn=0377-919X |jstor=2537386}}</ref><ref name="Hernandez 2023 v887"/> while [[Elliott Colla]] notes that "it is unclear when and where the slogan "from the river to the sea," first emerged within Palestinian protest culture."<ref name="Colla-2023" /> In November 2023, Colla wrote that he had not encountered the phrase — in either Standard nor Levantine Arabic — in Palestinian revolutionary media of the 1960s and 1970s and noted that "the phrase appears nowhere in the Palestinian National Charters of 1964 or 1968, nor in the Hamas Charter of 1988."<ref name="Colla-2023">{{Cite web |first=Elliott |last=Colla |author-link=Elliott Colla |date=November 16, 2023 |title=On the history, meaning, and power of "From the River To the Sea" |url=https://mondoweiss.net/2023/11/on-the-history-meaning-and-power-of-from-the-river-to-the-sea/ |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=[[Mondoweiss]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
The [[Palestinian National Covenant|1964 charter]] of the PLO's [[Palestinian National Council]] called for "the recovery of the usurped homeland in its entirety". The 1964 charter stated that "Jews who are of Palestinian origin shall be considered Palestinians if they are willing to live peacefully and loyally in Palestine", specifically defining "Palestinian" as those who had "normally resided in Palestine until 1947".<ref name=":JPS"/> In the 1968 revision, the charter was further revised, stating that "Jews who had resided normally in Palestine until the beginning of the Zionist invasion" would be considered Palestinian.<ref name=":JPS" /><ref name="Hernandez 2023 v887">{{cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Joe |date=9 Nov 2023 |title=How interpretations of the phrase 'from the river to the sea' made it so divisive |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/11/09/1211671117/how-interpretations-of-the-phrase-from-the-river-to-the-sea-made-it-so-divisive |access-date=10 Nov 2023 |website=NPR}}</ref> In the 1969 revision, the PLO promised equal citizenship to all Jews, including those who had recently immigrated, if they renounced Zionism.<ref name=":JPS" /> Thus by 1969, the PLO uses the phrase "free Palestine from the river to the sea" to mean a single democratic secular state that would replace Israel.<ref name="Kelley 2019 pp. pp.69–91" />
In 1979, the phrase was invoked by delegates attending the [[Palestinian American Congress|Palestine Congress of North America]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Turki |first1=Fawaz |title=The Passions of Exile: The Palestine Congress of North America |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |date=1980 |volume=9 |issue=4 |page=38 |doi=10.2307/2536123 |jstor=2536123 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2536123 |access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>
Colla notes that activists of the [[First Intifada]] (1987-1993) "remember hearing variations of the phrase in Arabic from the late 1980s onwards" and that the phrases have been documented in graffiti from the period in works such as [[Saleh Abd al-Jawad|Saleh Abd al-Jawad's]] "{{transl|ar|Faṣāʾil al-ḥaraka l-waṭaniyya l-Filasṭīniyya fī l-ʾarāḍī l-muḥtalla wa-shuʿārāt al-judrān|i=no}}" (1991)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.palestine-studies.org/ar/node/35257 |script-title=ar:فصائل الحركة الوطنية الفلسطينية في الأراضي المحتلة وشعارات الجدران |language=ar |title=fasayil alharakat alwataniat alfilastiniat fi al'aradi almuhtalat washiearat aljudran |trans-title=Factions of the Palestinian National Movement in the occupied territories and wall slogans |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref> and Julie Peteet's "The Writing on the Walls: The Graffiti of the Intifada" (1996).<ref>{{Cite journal |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/656446 |title=The Writing on the Walls: The Graffiti of the Intifada |last=Peteet |first=Julie|year=1996 |journal=[[Cultural Anthropology (journal)|Cultural Anthropology]] |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=139–159 |doi=10.1525/can.1996.11.2.02a00010 |jstor=656446 |via=JSTOR}}</ref><ref name="Colla-2023" />
The phrase appeared in a 2021 [[B'Tselem]] report entitled "A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This Is Apartheid" that described Israel's ''[[de facto]]'' rule over the territory from the river to the sea, through its [[Israeli occupation of the West Bank|occupation of the West Bank]] and [[blockade of the Gaza Strip]], as a regime of [[Israel and apartheid|apartheid]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iraqi |first=Amjad |date=2021-01-12 |title=Why B'Tselem is calling Israel an apartheid regime, from the river to the sea |url=https://www.972mag.com/btselem-israel-apartheid-supremacy/ |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=+972 Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=B'Tselem (Document): A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This Is Apartheid |url=https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1650915 |date=January 12, 2021 |access-date=November 28, 2023 |website=[[Institute for Palestine Studies]] |language=en}}</ref>
== Variations ==
=== Protest chants ===
The concept of "from the river to the sea" has appeared in various pro-Palestinian protest chants, typically as the first line of a [[Rhyme|rhyming]] [[couplet]].
==== In Arabic ====
The version {{lang|ar-Latn|min an-nahr ʾilā l-baḥr / Filasṭīn sa-tataḥarrar}} ({{lang|ar|من النهر إلى البحر / فلسطين ستتحرر}}, "from the river to the sea / Palestine will be free") has a focus on freedom.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ioanes |first=Ellen |date=November 24, 2023 |title=The controversial phrase "from the river to sea," explained |url=https://www.vox.com/world-politics/23972967/river-to-sea-palestine-israel-hamas |access-date=2023-12-02 |website=[[Vox.com|Vox]] |language=en |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
The version {{lang|apc-Latn|min il-ṃayye la-l-ṃayye / Falasṭīn ʿarabiyye}} ({{Lang|apc|من المية للمية / فلسطين عربية}}, "from the water to the water / Palestine is Arab") has an [[Arab nationalism|Arab nationalist]] sentiment, and the version {{lang|apc-Latn|min il-ṃayye la-l-ṃayye / Falasṭīn islāmiyye}} ({{Lang|apc|من المية للمية / فلسطين إسلامية}}, "from the water to the water / Palestine is Islamic") has Islamic sentiment.<ref name="Colla-20233"/> According to Colla, scholars of Palestine attest to the documentation of both versions in the [[graffiti]] of the late 1980s, the period of the [[First Intifada]].<ref name="Colla-20233" />
==== In English ====
"From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free"—the translation of {{lang|ar-Latn|min an-nahr ʾilā l-baḥr / Filasṭīn sa-tatḥarrar}}—is the version that has circulated among English speakers expressing solidarity with Palestine since at least the 1990s.<ref name="Colla-20233" />
=== Other formulations ===
==== In Hebrew ====
Similar formulations have been used by Zionists and Israelis. [[Omer Bartov]] notes the song [[The East Bank of the Jordan (song)|"The East Bank of the Jordan"]] by the [[Revisionist Zionist]] leader [[Ze'ev Jabotinsky|Vladimir Jabotinsky]] used the formulation {{transl|he|shtei gadót le-Yardén: zo shelánu, zo gam kan}} ({{Lang|he|שתי גדות לירדן: זו שלנו, זו גם כן}}, "the Jordan has two banks; this one is ours, and the other one too").<ref name="bbc.com"/><ref>{{Cite news |title="From the River to the Sea": Omer Bartov on Contested Slogan & Why Two-State Solution Is Not Viable |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2023/11/10/bartov_two_state |access-date=2024-01-03 |work=[[Democracy Now!]] |language=en |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
The [[Likud|Likud Party]] used the formulation {{transl|he|ben ha-yam le-Yardén tihyé rak ribonút israelít}} ({{Lang|he|בין הים לירדן תהיה רק ריבונות ישראלית}}, "between the sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty").<ref>{{Cite news |last1=אדלסון |first1=דניאל |last2=יורק |first2=ניו |date=2023-11-10 |script-title=he:"מהנהר לים פלסטין תהיה חופשית": הסיסמה שמעוררת סערה עולמית |language=he |trans-title="From the river to the sea Palestine will be free": the slogan that causes a global uproar |work=[[Ynet]] |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/ryjgqisxt |access-date=2024-01-03 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Khalidi |first=Rashid |date=2023-11-22 |title=It's Time to Confront Israel's Version of "From the River to the Sea" |language=en-US |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/world/its-time-to-confront-israels-version-of-from-the-river-to-the-sea/ |work=[[The Nation]] |access-date=2024-01-03 |issn=0027-8378 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref> Most recently this has been stated by Israeli prime minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] on 18 January 2024.<ref name="AJ111">{{Cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/18/israels-netanyahu-reiterates-rejection-of-palestinian-state-after-gaza-war |title=Israel's Netanyahu reiterates rejection of Palestinian state after Gaza war |date=2024-01-18 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
== Usage ==
===Use by Palestinian militant groups===
{{See also|Calls for the destruction of Israel}}
[[Hamas]], as part of its revised [[2017 Hamas charter|2017 charter]], rejected "any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea", referring to all areas of former [[Mandatory Palestine]] and by extension, the end of Jewish sovereignty in the region.<ref name="timesofisrael.com"/><ref>{{cite web |title=A Document of General Principles and Policies (Hamas General Charter, rev. 2017) |website=FAS |publisher=Hamas |url=https://irp.fas.org/world/para/docs/hamas-2017.pdf |access-date=27 October 2023 |quote=Hamas believes that no part of the land of Palestine shall be compromised or conceded, irrespective of the causes, the circumstances and the pressures and no matter how long the occupation lasts. Hamas rejects any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.}}</ref><ref name="Hamas says it accepts '67 borders, but doesn't recognize Israel">{{cite web | last=Qiblawi | first=Tamara | title='Hamas says it accepts '67 borders, but doesn't recognize Israel| website=CNN | date=3 May 2017 | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/01/middleeast/hamas-charter-palestinian-israeli/ | access-date=10 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref name="Demirjian Stack 2023 m226">{{cite web |last1=Demirjian |first1=Karoun |last2=Stack |first2=Liam |date=November 9, 2023 |title=What Does 'From the River to the Sea' Mean? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/us/politics/river-to-the-sea-israel-gaza-palestinians.html |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]] declared that "from the river to the sea{{snd}} [Palestine] is an Arab Islamic land that [it] is legally forbidden from abandoning any inch of, and the Israeli presence in Palestine is a null existence, which is forbidden by law to recognize.<ref name="ij1">{{cite news |title=Islamic Jihad Movement |url= https://www.aljazeera.net/2004/10/03/حركة-الجهاد-الإسلامي-3 |website=AlJazeera.net |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |access-date=31 October 2023 |quote=الالتزام بأن فلسطين -من النهر إلى البحر- أرض إسلامية عربية يحرم شرعا التفريط في أي شبر منها، والوجود الإسرائيلي في فلسطين وجود باطل، يحرم شرعا الاعتراف به. |trans-quote=The commitment that Palestine - from the river to the sea - is an Arab Islamic land that is legally forbidden from abandoning any inch of it, and the Israeli presence in Palestine is a null existence, which is forbidden by law to recognize it.}}</ref> [[Islamists]] have used a version "Palestine is Islamic from the river to the sea".<ref name="BarbaraBarbara2005">{{cite book |first1=Anne Marie |last1=Oliver |first2=Paul F. |last2=Steinberg |title=The Road to Martyrs' Square: A Journey into the World of the Suicide Bomber: A Journey into the World of the Suicide Bomber |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YRsvH8M8CesC&pg=PA33 |date=1 February 2005 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford, England |isbn=978-0-19-802756-0 |page=33 |quote=... a message reminiscent of the popular intifada slogan 'Palestine is ours from the river to the sea,' which in the hands of the Islamists became 'Palestine is Islamic from the river to the sea.'}}</ref>
===Similar sayings by the Israeli right===
The phrase was also used by the Israeli ruling [[Likud]] party as part of their 1977 election manifesto which stated "[[Judea and Samaria Area|Judea and Samaria]] will not be handed to any foreign administration; between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty."<ref name="Laquer2001">{{cite book |last1=Laquer |first1=Walter |title=The Israel-Arab Reader: a Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict |last2=Rubin |first2=Barry |date=2001 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |location=New York City |isbn=978-0143113799 |pages=206–207}}</ref><ref name="JVLLikud">{{cite web |title=Likud Party: Original Party Platform 1977 |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/original-party-platform-of-the-likud-party |access-date=16 November 2023 |website=Jewish Virtual Library}}</ref><ref name="Gdnwhatmean">{{cite news |first=Daniel |last=Boffey |title='From the river to the sea': where does the slogan come from and what does it mean? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/31/from-the-river-to-the-sea-where-does-the-slogan-come-from-and-what-does-it-mean-israel-palestine |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=October 31, 2023}}</ref> This slogan was repeated by [[Menachem Begin]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Steinberg |first1=Gerald M. |title=Menachem Begin and the Israel-Egypt Peace Process Between Ideology and Political Realism |last2=Rubinovitz |first2=Ziv |date=2019 |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |location=Bloomington, Indiana |page=1976|isbn=978-0143113799}}</ref> Similar wording has also been used more recently by other Israeli politicians, like [[Gideon Sa'ar]] and also [[Uri Ariel]] of [[The Jewish Home]]. In 2014 Ariel said, "Between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea there will be only one state, which is Israel."<ref name="timesofisrael.com"/> The phrase has been used by the Israeli prime minister, Likud's [[Benjamin Netanyahu]], in speeches.<ref name="Coryton-2023" /> Similar wording has also been used more recently by other Israeli politicians.<ref name="timesofisrael.com"/>
=== Use internationally ===
[[File:Graffiti at TSC for Palestine 13.jpg|thumb|Graffiti at the [[Teacher-Student Centre, University of Dhaka]], [[Bangladesh]]]]
==== Al Qaeda ====
Among the [[Killing of Osama bin Laden#Intelligence postmortem|materials]] recovered by American forces during the [[killing of Osama bin Laden|killing]] of [[al-Qaeda]] founder [[Osama bin Laden]] was a speech addressed to the American people, in which bin Laden proposed economic and security guarantees in exchange for a "roadmap that returns the Palestine land to us, all of it, from the sea to the river, it is an Islamic land not subject to being traded or granted to any party."<ref>{{cite web |last1=bin Laden |first1=Osama |title=To The American People |url=https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ubl2016/english/To%20the%20American%20people.pdf |website=dni.gov |publisher=Director of National Intelligence |access-date=26 December 2023 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/11/01/osama-bin-ladens-video-collection-included-where-in-the-world-is-osama-bin-laden/ |title=Osama bin Laden's video collection included 'Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?' |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |first1=Cleve R. |last1=Wootson Jr. |date=November 1, 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/2017-press-releases-statements/cia-releases-additional-files-recovered-in-ubl-compound-raid.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171101184000/https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/2017-press-releases-statements/cia-releases-additional-files-recovered-in-ubl-compound-raid.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 1, 2017 |title=CIA Releases Nearly 470,000 Additional Files Recovered in May 2011 Raid on Usama Bin Ladin's Compound |date=November 1, 2017 |location=Langley, Virginia |publisher=[[U.S. Central Intelligence Agency]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bin Laden's Bookshelf |url=https://www.dni.gov/index.php/features/bin-laden-s-bookshelf?start=2 |website=dni.gov |publisher=Office of the Director of National Intelligence |access-date=26 December 2023 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
==== Hezbollah ====
On September 27, 2008, [[Hezbollah]] secretary-general [[Hassan Nasrallah]] stated at a rally "Palestine, from the sea to the river, is the property of Arabs and Palestinians and no one has the right to give up even a single grain of earth or one stone, because every grain of the land is holy. The entire land must be returned to its rightful owners."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rubin |first1=Barry |title=Israel's "Northern Front": Relations with Syria and Lebanon |journal=The Ambassadors Review |date=Fall 2008 |url=https://www.americanambassadors.org/publications/ambassadors-review/fall-2008/israel-s-northern-front-relations-with-syria-and-lebanon |access-date=26 December 2023 |publisher=Council of American Ambassadors |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220814132905/https://www.americanambassadors.org/publications/ambassadors-review/fall-2008/israel-s-northern-front-relations-with-syria-and-lebanon |archive-date= 2022-08-14}}</ref>
==== Iran ====
[[President of Iran|Iranian president]] [[Ebrahim Raisi]], in 2023, used the phrase, saying "The only solution is a Palestinian state from the river to the sea", meaning that the only solution to the conflict would be a Palestinian state encompassing all of Israel and the Palestinian territories.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 November 2023 |title=Iran's Raisi: The only solution is 'a Palestinian state from the river to the sea' |work=[[The Times of Israel]] |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/irans-raisi-the-only-solution-is-a-palestinian-state-from-the-river-to-the-sea/ |quote="The only solution for this conflict is the resistance continuing against the Israeli oppression until the establishment of the Palestinian state from the river to the sea," he says, echoing protest chants seen as calling for the destruction of Israel. |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Establishment of Palestinian state is 'only solution': Iran's Raisi |url=https://en.royanews.tv/news/46359/2023-11-11 |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=en.royanews.tv |language=en |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 11, 2023 |title=Israel-Hamas war, Day 36 LIVE updates {{!}} Iran's Raisi hails Hamas, urges Islamic states' sanctions on Israel |language=en-IN |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/israel-hamas-gaza-palestine-war-conflict-live-updates-november-11-2023/article67523936.ece |access-date=2023-11-11 |issn=0971-751X |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
==== Iraq ====
In 2003, then [[Iraqi President]] [[Saddam Hussein]], during a speech commemorating the anniversary of the [[Iraqi Army]]'s establishment, referred to the [[Palestinians|Palestinian people]] and the [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]], stating "Long live Palestine, free and Arab, from the sea to the river".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2003-01-06 |title=Full text: Saddam Hussein's speech |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jan/06/iraq1 |access-date=2023-12-26 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
==== United Kingdom ====
On 30 October 2023, British Member of Parliament [[Andy McDonald (politician)|Andy McDonald]] was suspended from the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] after stating in a pro-Palestine rally speech: "We won't rest until we have justice, until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea can live in peaceful liberty". The party described McDonald's comment as "deeply offensive".<ref name="Gdnwhatmean"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Gutteridge |first=Nick |date=30 October 2023 |title=Labour MP Andy McDonald suspended over 'between the river and the sea' speech |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/10/30/labour-mp-andy-mcdonald-suspended-river-sea-speech/ |access-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231030212823/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/10/30/labour-mp-andy-mcdonald-suspended-river-sea-speech/ |archive-date=30 October 2023 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> McDonald said at the time, "These words should not be construed in any other way than they were intended, namely as a heartfelt plea for an end to killings in Israel, Gaza, and the occupied West Bank, and for all peoples in the region to live in freedom without the threat of violence."<ref name="AP6words"/>
As of 1 November 2023, the UK [[Football Association]] barred the use of the phrase by its players, stating they made clear to teams "that this phrase is considered offensive to many" and that the league will seek police guidance on how [they] should treat it and respond" if players have used it.<ref>{{cite web |first=Morgan |last=Ofori |date=November 1, 2023 |title=FA will consult police if players use 'river to sea' phrase on social media |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/nov/01/fa-will-consult-police-if-players-use-river-to-sea-phrase-on-social-media |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]] |agency=[[PA Media]] |quote="After careful consideration, we will be writing to all clubs to make it clear that this phrase is considered offensive to many, and should not be used by players in social media posts. "The player has apologised and deleted the tweet. We are strongly encouraging clubs to ensure that players do not post content which may be offensive or inflammatory to any community. "If this phrase is used again by a football participant, we will seek police guidance on how we should treat it and respond." |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
On November 5 the [[Metropolitan Police|Met Police]] stopped working with an adviser who chanted the slogan during a protest saying this appears "antisemitic and contrary with our values".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Met Police cuts ties with adviser who led controversial chant at pro-Palestinian rally |url=https://news.sky.com/story/met-police-cuts-ties-with-adviser-who-led-controversial-chant-at-pro-palestine-rally-13001428 |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=[[Sky News]] |language=en |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
==== United States ====
[[File:Gaza Rally 04 IMG 8231-(57) (53327562537).jpg|thumb|right|Pro-Palestinian protestor holding a sign in [[Columbus, Ohio]]]]
On November 30, 2018, [[CNN]] fired the American academic [[Marc Lamont Hill]] from his position as a political commentator after he delivered a speech at the [[Headquarters of the United Nations|United Nations]] on the [[International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People]]<ref name="timesofisrael.com"/><ref name="AP 2018">{{cite news |date=29 November 2018 |title=CNN fires analyst Marc Lamont Hill after UN speech on Israel |work=[[Associated Press News]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/0ac22d83c0d7454d939f0009d0049a91 |access-date=11 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527102304/https://apnews.com/article/0ac22d83c0d7454d939f0009d0049a91 |archive-date=27 May 2021}}</ref> ending with the words: "...we have an opportunity, to not just offer solidarity in words, but to commit to political action, grassroots action, local action, and international action that will give us what justice requires. And that is a free Palestine, from the river to the sea."{{sfn|Hill|2018}} The ADL accused Hill of using the phrase "from the river to the sea" as code for the destruction of Israel.<ref name="AP 2018" /> Hill apologized, but later tweeted "You say 'River to the Sea' is "universally" understood to mean the destruction of the Jewish State? On what basis do you make this claim? Did it signify destruction when it was the slogan of the Likud Party? Or when currently used by the Israeli Right?"<ref name="timesofisrael.com"/>
On 7{{nbsp}}November 2023, United States Representative [[Rashida Tlaib]] was [[censured]] by the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] in part for using the phrase,<ref name="timesofisrael.com"/><ref name="nbccensure">{{cite web |date=November 7, 2023 |title=House censures Rep. Rashida Tlaib over Israel remarks |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-vote-censure-rashida-tlaib-israel-hamas-palestine-remarks-rcna124005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108071851/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-vote-censure-rashida-tlaib-israel-hamas-palestine-remarks-rcna124005 |archive-date=November 8, 2023 |access-date=November 9, 2023 |work=[[NBC News]]}}</ref> which Tlaib defended as "an aspirational call for freedom, human rights and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction or hate". Before the vote, House Democratic leader [[Hakeem Jeffries]] criticized the phrase as something which is "widely understood as calling for the complete destruction of Israel".<ref name="nyt-guo-23">{{cite web |last1=Guo |first1=Kayla |date=November 7, 2023 |title=House Moves Closer to Censuring Tlaib, Citing 'River to the Sea' Slogan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/07/us/politics/tlaib-censure-house-israel-gaza.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107205006/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/07/us/politics/tlaib-censure-house-israel-gaza.html |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> On 8 November 2023, the White House condemned Tlaib for using the phrase. [[White House Press Secretary]] [[Karine Jean-Pierre]] said that "when it comes to the phrase that was used, 'from the river to the sea,' it is divisive, it is hurtful, many find it hurtful and many find it antisemitic," and added that the White House "categorically reject[s] applying the term to [[2023 Israel–Hamas war|the (2023 Israel–Hamas) conflict]]."<ref>{{cite news |last=Friedman |first=Lisa |date=November 8, 2023 |title=The White House condemns Rashida Tlaib's embrace of the 'River to the Sea' slogan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/08/world/middleeast/rashida-tlaib-palestine-israel.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109011733/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/08/world/middleeast/rashida-tlaib-palestine-israel.html |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |access-date=November 7, 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
=== Use on social media ===
The phrase has been used across social media,<ref>{{cite news |last=Kellman |first=Laurie |url=https://apnews.com/article/river-sea-israel-gaza-hamas-protests-d7abbd756f481fe50b6fa5c0b907cd49 |title='From the river to the sea': Why these 6 words spark fury and passion over the Israel-Hamas war |work=[[Associated Press News]] |date=November 10, 2023 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111140159/https://apnews.com/article/river-sea-israel-gaza-hamas-protests-d7abbd756f481fe50b6fa5c0b907cd49 |archive-date=November 11, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="wpprotectedspeech">{{cite news |last=Pietch |first=Bryan |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/14/river-sea-free-palestine-meaning/ |title='From the river to the sea': Why a Palestinian rallying cry ignites dispute |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=November 14, 2023 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119205750/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/14/river-sea-free-palestine-meaning/ |archive-date=November 19, 2023 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> including on [[TikTok]].<ref name="nytimestiktok">{{cite news |last=Maheshwari |first=Sapna |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/technology/tiktok-jewish-open-letter-antisemitism.html |title=Jewish Celebrities and Influencers Confront TikTok Executives in Private Call |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 16, 2023 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117005209/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/technology/tiktok-jewish-open-letter-antisemitism.html |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
On November 15, 2023, Jewish [[Internet celebrity|influencers]] and celebrities confronted [[TikTok]] executives in a private call, to press them to moderate use of the phrase on the platform. Adam Presser, head of operations for TikTok, stated that only content "where it is clear exactly what they mean...that content is violative and we take it down," adding that if "someone is just using it casually, then that has been considered acceptable speech." In a statement, TikTok said that content using the phrase "in a way that threatens violence and spreads hate" is not allowed on the platform.<ref name="nytimestiktok" /> A report by ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' described an additional [[Zoom (software)|Zoom]] call between "about 40 mostly Jewish tech leaders," including [[Anthony Goldbloom]], and TikTok executives, on November 16, claiming that the platform's algorithm favored "content that supports Palestine over pro-Israel content" and pushing the platform to "reexamine its community guidelines", with the company rejecting "blunt comparisons" of hashtags on the platform and stating that the imbalance of content is not the result of "any kind of intended or unintended bias in its algorithms."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Lev-Ram |first=Michael |url=https://fortune.com/2023/11/30/40-tech-leaders-founders-bonobos-tinder-gusto-meeting-tiktok-ceo-israel-palestine-content/ |title=Jewish tech leaders met with TikTok's CEO to raise concerns that the platform is biased toward Pro-Palestine content |magazine=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |date=November 30, 2023 |access-date=December 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201110813/https://fortune.com/2023/11/30/40-tech-leaders-founders-bonobos-tinder-gusto-meeting-tiktok-ceo-israel-palestine-content/ |archive-date=December 1, 2023 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
On November 17, 2023, [[Elon Musk]], the owner of [[Twitter]], announced a policy change, stating that users who use terms like "[[decolonization]]" and "from the river to the sea," or similar expressions would be suspended. He claimed these terms were used as euphemisms for extreme violence or genocide.<ref name="MuskPolicyChange">{{cite magazine |first=Miles |last=Klee |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/musk-from-the-river-to-the-sea-twitter-suspension-1234886216/ |title=Musk Tries to Clean Up His Antisemitic Remark With New Twitter Rule |magazine=[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]] |date=November 17, 2023 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119042520/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/musk-from-the-river-to-the-sea-twitter-suspension-1234886216/ |archive-date=November 19, 2023 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Musk's announcement came after he was criticized for "endorsing an antisemitic post" on the platform two days before, and companies such as [[IBM]], [[Comcast]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Paramount Global]], [[Disney]], and [[Lionsgate]] announced a pause of ads on the platform.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/elon-musk-genocidal-terms-like-from-the-river-to-the-sea-to-result-in-suspension/ |title=Elon Musk: Genocidal terms like 'from the river to the sea' to result in suspension |work=[[Times of Israel]] |date=November 18, 2023 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119014454/https://www.timesofisrael.com/elon-musk-genocidal-terms-like-from-the-river-to-the-sea-to-result-in-suspension/ |archive-date=November 19, 2023 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="cnbc2023" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Korach |first1=Natalie |last2=Roe |first2=Mike |url=https://www.thewrap.com/apple-lionsgate-elon-musk-antisemitic-x-twitter-advertising/ |title=Disney, Apple, Warner Bros. Among Mass Advertiser Exodus From Elon Musk's X Following Antisemitic Post |website=[[The Wrap]] |date=November 17, 2023 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118191742/https://www.thewrap.com/apple-lionsgate-elon-musk-antisemitic-x-twitter-advertising/ |archive-date=November 18, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Jonathan Greenblatt]], the CEO of the [[Anti-Defamation League]], applauded Musk's action on November 17, calling it "an important and welcome move" and praising his "leadership in fighting hate."<ref name="cnbc2023">{{cite news |last=Vanian |first=Jonathan |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/17/apple-has-paused-advertising-on-x-after-musk-promoted-antisemitic-tweet.html |title=Apple, Disney, other media companies pause advertising on X after Elon Musk boosted antisemitic tweet |work=[[CNBC]] |date=November 17, 2023 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119160359/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/17/apple-has-paused-advertising-on-x-after-musk-promoted-antisemitic-tweet.html |archive-date=November 19, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Greenblatt's statement was reported by ''[[The Guardian]]'' as being part of an effort to gain influence on the far right, and that the head of the ADL's Center for Technology and Society (CTS), Yael Eisenstat, quit her position in protest.<ref name="JC11">{{cite web|url=https://jewishcurrents.org/top-executive-leaves-adl-over-ceos-praise-of-elon-musk|work=Jewish Currents|date=4 January 2024|accessdate=5 January 2024|title=Top Executive Leaves ADL Over CEO's Praise of Elon Musk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxjkzm/adl-elon-musk-controversy|work=Vice|accessdate=5 January 2024|date=21 December 2023|title=At Leading Anti-Hate Group, Boss's Embrace of Elon Musk Raises Tensions}}</ref> Other ADL staffers expressed their opposition to Greenblatt's move.<ref name="TG11">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/jan/05/adl-pro-israel-advocacy-zionism-antisemitism|title=Anti-Defamation League staff decry 'dishonest' campaign against Israel critics|work=The Guardian|date=5 January 2024|accessdate=5 January 2024|quote=Critics of the group argue that these and other actions risk undermining the civil rights organization’s counter-extremism work and say the group has foregone much of its historical mission to fight antisemitism in favor of doing advocacy for Israel.}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' stated that it was "doubtful" that Twitter users would be suspended for "repeating either phrase."<ref name="MuskPolicyChange" /> Noah Lanard of [[Mother Jones (magazine)|''Mother Jones'']] wrote that the new policy would "presumably apply only to those who use the phrase [from the river to the sea] in support of Palestinians" and argued that Musk is "trying to cover up for his own bigotry."<ref>{{cite web|last=Lanard|first=Noah|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/11/elon-musk-river-sea-antidefamation-league/|title=ADL Celebrates Elon Musk's Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Speech|website=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]|date=November 18, 2023|access-date=November 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119073700/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/11/elon-musk-river-sea-antidefamation-league/|archive-date=November 19, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Pro-Palestinian users criticized Musk's new policy, arguing he was conflating legitimate political speech with "calls for violence" and was "limiting free speech."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newarab.com/news/say-river-sea-get-suspended-x-musk|title=X boss Elon Musk says using 'from the river to the sea' to result in suspension from platform|website=[[The New Arab]]|date=November 18, 2023|access-date=November 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119210326/https://www.newarab.com/news/say-river-sea-get-suspended-x-musk|archive-date=November 19, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
On September 4, 2024, [[Meta Platforms|Meta]]'s [[Oversight Board (Meta)|Oversight Board]]  published a decision that allows the phrase to be used on Meta's platforms, and argued that the phrase on its own does not violate the rules on "Hate Speech, Violence and Incitement or Dangerous Organizations and Individuals".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-04 |title=New Decision Highlights Why Standalone Use of "From the River to the Sea" Should Not Lead to Content Removal {{!}} Oversight Board |url=https://www.oversightboard.com/news/new-decision-highlights-why-standalone-use-of-from-the-river-to-the-sea-should-not-lead-to-content-removal/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Civic usage ===
[[File:A Prayer for Palestinian Children (53254105322).jpg|thumb|Pro-Palestinian rally in [[London]], 9 October 2023]]
[[File:Day of Resistance bIMG 7940 (53255628099).jpg|thumb|Pro-Palestinian rally in [[Columbus, Ohio]], 12 October 2023, with an Arabic reference to the [[Intifada]]]]
The phrase has been used widely in pro-Palestinian protest movements.<ref name="Rubin2010">{{cite book |first=Barry |last=Rubin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=so3GAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA124 |title=The Muslim Brotherhood: The Organization and Policies of a Global Islamist Movement |date=2010 |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-230-10687-1 |page=124 |quote=Thus, the MAB slogan 'Palestine must be free, from the river to the sea' is now ubiquitous in anti-Israeli demonstrations in the UK ...}}</ref> It has often been chanted at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, usually followed or preceded by the phrase "Palestine will be free" (the phrase rhymes in English, not Arabic).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marsi |first=Federica |title='From the river to the sea': What does the Palestinian slogan really mean? |date=2 November 2023|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/2/from-the-river-to-the-sea-what-does-the-palestinian-slogan-really-mean |website=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=From the river to the sea, Jews and Arabs must forge a shared future |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/23/river-to-sea-jews-and-arabs-must-forge-shared-future |url-status=live |access-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031161827/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/23/river-to-sea-jews-and-arabs-must-forge-shared-future |archive-date=31 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Yousef |last=Munayyer |title=What Does "From the River to the Sea" Really Mean? |url=https://jewishcurrents.org/what-does-from-the-river-to-the-sea-really-mean |access-date=October 31, 2023 |website=Jewish Currents |date=June 11, 2021 |language=en|quote= From the river to the sea" is a rejoinder to the fragmentation of Palestinian land and people by Israeli occupation and discrimination. Palestinians have been divided in a myriad of ways by Israeli policy. There are Palestinian refugees denied repatriation because of discriminatory Israeli laws. There are Palestinians denied equal rights living within Israel's internationally recognized territory as second-class citizens. There are Palestinians living with no citizenship rights under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank. There are Palestinians in legal limbo in occupied Jerusalem and facing expulsion. There are Palestinians in Gaza living under an Israeli siege. All of them suffer from a range of policies in a singular system of discrimination and apartheid—a system that can only be challenged by their unified opposition. All of them have a right to live freely in the land from the river to the sea.}}</ref> Interpretations differ amongst its supporters. In a survey conducted by the Arab World for Research and Development on November 14, 74.7% Palestinians agreed that they support a single Palestinian state "from the river to the sea", while only 5.4% of respondents supported a "one-state for two peoples" solution.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Danielle |last=Greyman-Kennard |date=November 17, 2023 |title=Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank strongly support Hamas, October 7 attack |url=https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-773791 |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |language=en-US |quote=When asked "Do you support the solution of establishing one state or two states?" the majority (74.7%) of respondents answered that they support a single Palestinian state "from the river to the sea." The support for a single Palestinian state was more commonly held by Palestinians living in the West Bank (77.7%) than Palestinians living in Gaza (70.4%.) A total of 17.2% of respondents said they supported a two-state solution, with Palestinians in Gaza (22.7%) supporting this solution to a greater extent than Palestinians living in the West Bank (13.3%.) Only 5.4% of respondents said they would support a "one-state for two peoples" solution. |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Koningsveld |first=Akiva Van |date=November 17, 2023 |title=Three in four Palestinians support Hamas's massacre |url=https://www.jns.org/three-in-four-palestinians-support-hamass-massacre/ |access-date=November 18, 2023 |website=JNS.org |language=en-US |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=i24NEWS |date=November 16, 2023 |title=Survey finds majority in the West Bank support the Oct 7 massacre |url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/palestinian-territories/1700158968-survey-finds-majority-in-the-west-bank-justify-the-oct-7-massacre |access-date=November 18, 2023 |website=I24news |language=en |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
Civic figures, activists, and [[progressivism|progressive]] publications have said that the phrase calls for a [[one-state solution]]: a single, secular state in all of [[Palestine (region)|Historic Palestine]] where people of all religions have equal citizenship.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bandler |first=Aaron |date=1 November 2021 |title=Dem NH Lawmaker Apologizes for 'From the River to the Sea' Tweet |work=[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles|The Jewish Journal]] |url=https://jewishjournal.com/news/united-states/341941/dem-nh-lawmaker-apologizes-for-from-the-river-to-the-sea-tweet/ |url-status=live |access-date=2 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102173739/https://jewishjournal.com/news/united-states/341941/dem-nh-lawmaker-apologizes-for-from-the-river-to-the-sea-tweet/ |archive-date=November 2, 2021}}</ref> This stands in contrast to the [[two-state solution]], which envisions a Palestinian state existing alongside a Jewish state.<ref name="Nassar 2018 f411">{{cite web|first=Maha|last=Nasser|url=https://forward.com/opinion/415250/from-the-river-to-the-sea-doesnt-mean-what-you-think-it-means/|title='From The River To The Sea' Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means|website=[[The Forward]]|date=December 3, 2018|access-date=December 12, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Zhang-2023">{{Cite news |last=Zhang |first=Jane |date=October 29, 2023 |title=What does 'From the river to the sea' mean to Palestinians, Jews? |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/10/29/23926878/river-sea-palestine-free-israel-hamas-war-protest-gaza |access-date=October 31, 2023 |work=[[The Chicago Sun-Times]] |language=en |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref name="Sculos 2019">{{cite journal |last=Sculos |first=Bryant W. |date=2019 |title="A Free Palestine from the River to the Sea": The 9 Dirty Words You Can't Say (on T.V. or Anywhere Else) |url=https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1139&context=classracecorporatepower |access-date=31 October 2023 |journal=Class, Race and Corporate Power |publisher=[[Florida International University]] |location=Miami, Florida |volume=7 |issue=1 |at=Article 6 |doi=10.25148/crcp.7.1.008322 |issn=2330-6297 |s2cid=166905010 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Alex |last=MacDonald |title='From the river to the sea': What does the pro-Palestine chant actually mean? |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-israel-from-river-to-sea-chant-mean-actually |date=23 October 2023 |access-date=31 October 2023 |work=[[Middle East Eye]] |language=en  |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref> This usage has been described as speaking out for the right of Palestinians "to live freely in the land from the river to the sea", with Palestinian writer [[Yousef Munayyer]] describing the phrase as "a rejoinder to the fragmentation of Palestinian land and people by Israeli occupation and discrimination."<ref name="Gdnwhatmean" /> Others have said it stands for "the equal freedom and dignity of the Palestinian people."<ref name="Sculos 2019" /><ref name="dawn.com"/> [[Elliott Colla]] traces the first evidence of use of the phrase in Palestinian protest culture to the [[First Intifada]] (1987-1993), with documentation in [[graffiti]] from the period.<ref name="Colla-2023"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Abd al-Jawad |first=Saleh |author-link=Saleh Abd al-Jawad |title=[Faṣā'il al-ḥaraka al-waṭaniyya al-Filasṭīniyya fi-l-arāḍī al-muḥtalla wa-shu'ārāt al-judrān] فصائل الحركة الوطنية الفلسطينية في الأراضي المحتلة وشعارات الجدران |url=https://www.palestine-studies.org/ar/node/35257 |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=مؤسسة الدراسات الفلسطينية |language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Peteet |first=Julie |date=1996 |title=The Writing on the Walls: The Graffiti of the Intifada |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/656446 |journal=[[Cultural Anthropology (journal)|Cultural Anthropology]] |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=139–159 |doi=10.1525/can.1996.11.2.02a00010 |jstor=656446 |issn=0886-7356}}</ref>
On November 8, 2023, [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] told ''[[Newsweek]]'' that they would not be removing pro-Palestinian merchandise, including garments bearing the phrase, stating that the items do not "contravene our policies," which prohibit sale of products which "promote, incite, or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual, or religious intolerance."<ref>{{cite web |first=Aleks |last=Phillips |url=https://www.newsweek.com/amazon-backlash-pro-palestinian-merchandise-river-sea-1841866 |title=Amazon Backlash Grows Over Selling Pro-Palestinian Merchandise—'Disgusting' |website=[[Newsweek]] |date=November 8, 2023 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109021355/https://www.newsweek.com/amazon-backlash-pro-palestinian-merchandise-river-sea-1841866 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Criticism==
Some politicians and advocacy groups such as the [[Anti-Defamation League]]<ref name="Hernandez 2023 v887" /> and [[American Jewish Committee]]<ref name="Hernandez 2023 v887"/> consider the phrase to be antisemitic, [[hate speech]] and incitement to genocide,<ref name="Hernandez 2023 v887" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mitnick |first1=Joshua |title=A revised Hamas charter will moderate its stance toward Israel — slightly |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-hamas-charter-20170501-story.html |access-date=29 October 2023 |date=1 May 2017 |quote=While that may be a tacit acknowledgment of Israel's existence, the revision stops well short of recognizing Israel and reasserts calls for armed resistance toward a 'complete liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea.' [...] 'Hamas is attempting to fool the world, but it will not succeed,' said a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office. 'Daily, Hamas leaders call for genocide of all Jews and the destruction of Israel.'}}</ref> suggesting that it denies the right of Jews for self-determination in their [[ancestral home]]land,<ref name="Hernandez 2023 v887" /> or advocates for their removal or extermination.<ref name="Eichner-2023" /><ref name="Reuters-2023">{{Cite news |date=11 October 2023 |title='From the river to the sea' prompts Vienna to ban pro-Palestinian protest |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/from-river-sea-prompts-vienna-ban-pro-palestinian-protest-2023-10-11/ |access-date=28 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Angelos |first1=James |title=Israel-Hamas war cuts deep into Germany's soul |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-hamas-war-germany-germany-berlin/ |date=21 October 2023 |work=[[Politico Europe]] |quote="Hamas' ideology of extermination against everything Jewish is also having an effect in Germany," said the Central Council of Jews in Germany, the country's largest umbrella Jewish organization." |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref> Such critics of the phrase claim that it has been explicitly used to call for the land to be placed entirely under Arab rule at the cost of the [[State of Israel]] and its Jewish citizens.<ref name="ij1" /><ref name="Patterson2010">{{cite book |first=David |last=Patterson |title=A Genealogy of Evil: Anti-Semitism from Nazism to Islamic Jihad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lMLmK-fmf8kC&pg=PA249 |date=18 October 2010 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge, England |isbn=978-1-139-49243-0 |page=249 |quote=... except the boundary indicated in their slogan 'From the river to the sea', which stipulated the obliteration of the Jewish state.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Muslih |first=Muhammad |date=1990-07-01 |title=Towards Coexistence: An Analysis of the Resolutions of the Palestine National Council |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2307/2537386 |journal=[[Journal of Palestine Studies]] |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |location=New York City |language=en |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=3–29 |doi=10.2307/2537386 |jstor=2537386 |issn=0377-919X |quote=PLO and its leaders remained at bottom committed to Israel's destruction}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Trigano |first=Shmuel |date=2019 |title=Deconstructing the Three Stages of the Nakba Myth |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26801117 |journal=Jewish Political Studies Review |volume=30 |issue=3/4 |pages=45–54 |jstor=26801117 |issn=0792-335X |quote=Meanwhile the endeavor to exterminate the Jews and destroy the state}}</ref>
ADL regional director Jonah Steinberg stated that from the time of the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] and thereafter "there was a catchphrase of 'pushing the Jews into the sea' and the phrase, 'from the river to the sea' echoes that trope in a menacing way."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Scales |first=Maggie |date=November 10, 2023 |title='From the river to the sea': What does the common pro-Palestinian chant mean? |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/10/world/from-the-river-to-the-sea-meaning/ |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
[[Steven Lubet]] wrote in an opinion piece on ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'' that if the people promoting this slogan were really interested only in “freedom, human rights and peaceful coexistence” as they claim, then they would have changed the slogan to “From the river to the sea, ''Palestinians'' will be free.”<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Lubet |first=Steven |date=2024-01-16 |title=Rabid hate speech against Jews isn't a matter of interpretation |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/4411126-rabid-hate-speech-against-jews-isnt-a-matter-of-interpretation/ |access-date=2024-04-21 |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |language=en-US |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref> Lubet also says that, according to [[DEI]] norms, the racism of a certain speech can be determined not only by the intent of the speaker, but mainly by the impact it has on the people who feel offended or threatened by it. Therefore, he concludes, since most Jews view the slogan as hurtful and threatening, it should be avoided, regardless of what is the real intent of its chanters.<ref name=":1" />
According to [[Susie Linfield]] in an interview in ''[[Salmagundi (magazine)|Salmagundi]]'' magazine, there is nothing wrong with both Jews and Palestinians "pursuing national self-determination". In her opinion, the slogan 'from the river to the sea' represents a rejectionist unwillingness to compromise with the other nation on a two-state solution, which led the Palestinian leadership to reject the partition plan in 1947, ended in them losing everything so far.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Linfield |first=Susie |date=2024 |title=From The River To The Sea |url=https://salmagundi.skidmore.edu/articles/501-from-the-river-to-the-sea |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=Salmagundi Magazine |series=222-223 |language=en |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
On 9 November 2023, [[Claudine Gay]], the [[president of Harvard University]] at the time, condemned the phrase.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/10/us/harvard-columbia-antisemitism.html |title=Harvard, Columbia and Penn Pledge to Fight Antisemitism on Campus |last=Hartocollis |first=Anemona |date=November 11, 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |publisher= |quote= |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
On 17 April 2024, [[Minouche Shafik]], the [[president of Columbia University]] at the time, said that she herself hears the phrase as antisemitic, but some people do not.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-04-17 |title=Columbia's president rebuts claims she has allowed the university to become a hotbed of antisemitism |url=https://apnews.com/article/columbia-president-congress-israel-hamas-antisemitism-3255357b4443c1fb4bae8b8ea5774ee5 |access-date=2024-04-20 |work=[[AP News]] |language=en |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
On 16 April 2024 the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] approved a decision that condemns the chant as antisemitic, with a majority of 377 against 44.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |first1=Mychael |last1=Schnell |first2=Laura |last2=Kelly |date=2024-04-16 |title=House approves resolution condemning Palestinian rallying cry as antisemitic |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4598347-house-approves-resolution-condemning-palestinian-rallying-cry-as-antisemitic/ |access-date=2024-04-17 |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |language=en-US |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
[[Meta Platforms]], owner of the social networks [[Facebook]] and [[Instagram]], reviewed whether the phrase constitutes acceptable or forbidden speech on its platforms, and concluded that it did not, saying "In upholding Meta’s decisions to keep up the content, the majority of the board notes the phrase has multiple meanings and is used by people in various ways and with different intentions".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cramer |first=Philissa |date=2024-05-07 |title=Should 'From the river to the sea' be allowed on Facebook and Instagram? Meta's Oversight Board is considering the question. |url=https://www.jta.org/2024/05/07/israel/should-from-the-river-to-the-sea-be-allowed-on-facebook-and-instagram-metas-oversight-board-is-considering-the-question |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]] |language=en-US |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/4/from-the-river-to-the-sea-doesnt-violate-meta-rules-oversight-panel?traffic_source=rss|title='From the river to the sea' doesn't violate Meta rules: Oversight panel|website=Al Jazeera}}</ref>
=== Response to criticism ===
Oxford researcher Ahmad Khalidi has responded to those who characterize it as genocidal, "It is perfectly possible for both people to be free between the river and the sea, is 'free' necessarily in itself genocidal? I think any reasonable person would say no. Does it preclude the fact that the Jewish population in the area between the sea and the river cannot also be free? I think any reasonable person would also say no."<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Demirjian |first1=Karoun |last2=Stack |first2=Liam |date=2023-11-09 |title=In Congress and on Campuses, 'From the River to the Sea' Inflames Debate |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/us/politics/river-to-the-sea-israel-gaza-palestinians.html |access-date=2023-12-23 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
Palestinian-American writers such as [[Yousef Munayyer]] and [[University of Arizona]] professor Maha Nassar have written that accusations that the phrase is a call to genocide, rely on racist and Islamophobic assumptions about Palestinian intent.<ref name="Colla-2023"/> [[Nadia Abu El Haj]] notes that critics who characterize it as "threatening", "intimidating", or a call to "genocidal violence" when it is used in support of Palestine do not make equivalent claims when used by Israelis.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Nadia Abu |last=El-Haj |date=17 November 2023 |title=Zionism's Political Unconscious |url=https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/zionism-s-political-unconscious |access-date=21 November 2023 |website=[[Verso Books|Verso]] |language=en |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
In describing the criticism of the phrase, scholar of politics in the Arab world Elliott Colla writes:<blockquote>It is the first phrase of the slogan—"from the river to the sea"—that has caused so much fury. Dominant Jewish communal institutions, most prominently the ADL and AJC, have insisted that this phrase is antisemitic. Throughout recent years, they have composed new definitions of antisemitism that render many common expressions of Palestine solidarity as ''ipso facto'' instances of anti-Jewish hate speech ... the slogan "from the river to the sea" figures prominently in their accusations of antisemitic [[doublespeak]].<ref name="Colla-2023" /></blockquote>
In 2021, over 200 scholars in various fields signed the ''[[Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism]]''. The declaration discussed common manifestations of antisemitism, as well as what kinds of speech and behavior are antisemitic and what kind of speech and behavior are not, espacially regarding the [[Palestine-Israel conflict]]. According to the authors, "''between the river and the sea''" is not antisemitic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Jerusalem Declaration On Antisemitism |url=https://jerusalemdeclaration.org/ |access-date=March 30, 2021 |website=JerusalemDeclaration.org |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
Scholars [[Amos Goldberg]] and Alon Confino write in 2024, that it is not generally the case that the phrasing expresses a genocidal and antisemitic intention, instead historical usage articulates political strategies for Palestinian liberation.<ref name = "GoldConf">{{Cite web |url=https://revdem.ceu.edu/2024/03/27/from-the-river-to-the-sea-one-slogan-many-meanings/|title='From the river to the sea': One slogan, many meanings &#124; Review of Democracy |date=27 March 2024 |website=revdem.ceu.edu |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
== Legal status ==
Following the [[2023 Hamas attack on Israel]], the British [[Home Secretary]] at the time, [[Suella Braverman]], proposed prosecuting those using the phrase in certain contexts.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Syal |first1=Rajeev |last2=Allegretti |first2=Aubrey |title=Waving Palestinian flag may be a criminal offence, Braverman tells police |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/oct/10/people-supporting-hamas-in-uk-will-be-held-to-account-says-rishi-sunak |access-date=10 October 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=10 October 2023 |quote=I would encourage police to consider whether chants such as: 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' should be understood as an expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world, and whether its use in certain contexts may amount to a racially aggravated [[Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986|section 5 public order offence]].}}</ref>
A majority of the [[Dutch parliament]] declared the phrase to be a call for violence. The [[judiciary]], however, ruled in August 2023 that the phrase was protected on free speech grounds, being "subject to various interpretations", including those that "relate to the state of Israel and possibly to people with Israeli citizenship, but do not relate to Jews because of their race or religion". The decision was later upheld by the [[Supreme Court of the Netherlands|Dutch Supreme Court]].<ref name="nos.nl-2023" /><ref name="wpprotectedspeech" /><ref name="Brown 2023 s833">{{cite web | last=Brown | first=Rivkah | title=Dutch Court Rules 'From the River to the Sea' Protected Speech and Not Antisemitic | website=Novara Media | date=18 Oct 2023 | url=https://novaramedia.com/2023/10/18/dutch-court-rules-from-the-river-to-the-sea-protected-speech-and-not-antisemitic/ | access-date=10 Nov 2023}}</ref> In May of 2024, a parliamentary motion calling for the criminalization of the slogan passed with a single-vote majority. As a result, prosecutions for inciting violence and hate speech when using the slogan are theoretically possible; however, prosecutions remain difficult in practice.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Single MP majority asks Cabinet to criminalize "From the River to the Sea" statement {{!}} NL Times |url=https://nltimes.nl/2024/05/21/single-mp-majority-asks-cabinet-criminalize-river-sea-statement |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=nltimes.nl |date=21 May 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
On 11 October 2023, [[Vienna]] police banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration, citing the inclusion of the phrase "from the river to the sea" in invitations, as a justification.<ref name="Reuters-2023" /><ref>{{cite web |date=October 11, 2023 |title='From the river to the sea' prompts Vienna to ban pro-Palestinian protest |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/from-river-sea-prompts-vienna-ban-pro-palestinian-protest-2023-10-11/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104012004/https://www.reuters.com/world/from-river-sea-prompts-vienna-ban-pro-palestinian-protest-2023-10-11/ |archive-date=November 4, 2023 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> Politicians in [[Austria]] have also considered declaring use of the phrase to be a criminal offense, with Austrian chancellor [[Karl Nehammer]] saying that the phrase would be interpreted as a call for murder.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Glenn |first=Matis |date=25 October 2023 |title=Austrian Chancellor Visits Israel, Says 'From the River...' Will Be Considered Call to Murder |website=Hamodia |url=https://hamodia.com/2023/10/25/austrian-chancellor-visits-israel-says-from-the-river-will-be-considered-call-to-murder/ |access-date=28 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |first=Astha |last=Rajvanshi |date=20 October 2023 |title=In Europe, Free Speech Is Under Threat For Palestine Supporters |url=https://time.com/6326360/europe-palestine-protests-free-speech/ |access-date=28 October 2023 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref>
On November 5, 2023, in [[Tallinn]] ([[Estonia]]), the police opened criminal proceedings against five rally participants who used "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://rus.delfi.ee/statja/120246175/policiya-obyasnila-sluchivsheesya-na-mitinge-v-podderzhku-palestiny-my-neodnokratno-govorili-o-tom-chego-delat-nelzya |title=Полиция объяснила случившееся на митинге в поддержку Палестины: мы неоднократно говорили о том, чего делать нельзя |access-date=2023-11-14 |archive-date=2023-11-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114040133/https://rus.delfi.ee/statja/120246175/policiya-obyasnila-sluchivsheesya-na-mitinge-v-podderzhku-palestiny-my-neodnokratno-govorili-o-tom-chego-delat-nelzya |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://estonianworld.com/security/anti-jewish-leaflets-distributed-in-tallinn-people-arrested-for-chanting-hamas-slogans-at-protest/|title= Anti-Jewish leaflets distributed in Tallinn, people arrested for chanting Hamas slogans at protest|last= Tambur|first= Silver|date=November 9, 2023|website= Estonian World|publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>
On November 11, 2023, the phrase was banned in [[Bavaria]] ([[Germany]]), and "the prosecutor's office and the Bavarian police warned that henceforth its use, regardless of language, will be considered as the use of symbols of terrorist organizations. This may result in punishment of up to three years in prison or a fine".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/19261133 |title=В Баварии запретили пропалестинский лозунг "От реки до моря" |access-date=2023-11-14 |archive-date=2023-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112075842/https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/19261133 |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite a report of 28 January 2024 by CNN, the phrase was not considered illegal all over Germany. On 22 March 2024 the [[Administrative court|Administrative Court]] of [[Hesse]] ruled against an interdiction by the Frankfurt municipality and allowed the phrase in the course of a demonstration the same day.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tanno |first=Sophie |date=28 January 2024 |title=Crackdown on an already banned Hamas raises free speech fears in Germany |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/28/europe/europe-germany-hamas-crackdown-free-speech-intl/index.html |access-date= |website=CNN |publisher= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-24 |title=Stadt muss Parole «From the river to the sea» erlauben - WELT |url=https://www.welt.de/newsticker/dpa_nt/infoline_nt/Politik__Inland_/article250709420/Stadt-muss-Parole-From-the-river-to-the-sea-erlauben.html |access-date=2024-05-15 |website=[[Die Welt]] |language=de}}</ref>
On November 16, 2023, it was reported that users of the phrase may face criminal prosecution in the [[Czech Republic]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://verejnazaloba.cz/nsz/stanovisko-nsz-zavaznejsi-jednani-reagujici-na-deni-v-izraeli-mohou-byt-trestna/ |title=Stanovisko NSZ: Závažnější jednání reagující na dění v Izraeli mohou být trestná |trans-title=NSZ's position: More serious actions in response to events in Israel may be punishable |access-date=2023-12-01 |language=cs |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/19294451 |script-title=ru:СМИ: в Чехии начнут преследовать за использование лозунга палестинских радикалов |title=SMI: v Chekhii nachnut presledovat' za ispol'zovaniye lozunga palestinskikh radikalov |trans-title=Media: in the Czech Republic they will begin to persecute Palestinian radicals for using the slogan |access-date=2023-11-16 |archive-date=2023-11-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118211213/https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/19294451 |url-status=live |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ria.ru/20231115/chekhiya-1909701426.html |script-title=ru:В Чехии намерены возбуждать уголовные дела за лозунги о свободной Палестине |title=V Chekhii namereny vozbuzhdat' ugolovnyye dela za lozungi o svobodnoy Palestine |trans-title=The Czech Republic intends to initiate criminal cases for slogans about a free Palestine |date=15 November 2023 |access-date=2023-11-16 |archive-date=2023-11-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118211108/https://ria.ru/20231115/chekhiya-1909701426.html |url-status=live |language=ru}}</ref>
On November 17, 2023, it was reported that the case of a man charged by the police in [[Calgary, Canada]] for using the phrase, had been [[Stay of proceedings|stayed]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/from-the-river-to-the-sea-phrase |title=Charge stayed against Calgary pro-Palestinian protester who chanted 'from the river to the sea' |website=[[National Post]] |date=November 17, 2023 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/WIPfG |archive-date=November 19, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
On April 16 2024, the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] passed a resolution condemning the phrase as antisemitic, with 377 in favor, 44 against, and 1 absent. The resolution stemmed from controversy surrounding [[Rashida Tlaib]]'s video post featuring the phrase. Tlaib, who voted against the resolution, defended the phrase as aspirational for freedom. While some [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] viewed the resolution as divisive, many supported it due to concerns about antisemitism.<ref name=":0"/>
== See also ==
*[[Anti-Zionism]]
*[[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
*[[Greater Israel]]
*[[Greater Palestine]]
*[[Am Yisrael Chai]]
*[[A land without a people for a people without a land]]
*[[There was no such thing as Palestinians]]
*[[From Dan to Beersheba]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Bibliography==
{{Commons}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Kelley |first1=Robin |title=From the River to the Sea to Every Mountain Top: Solidarity as Worldmaking |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]], Ltd. |date=Summer 2019 |jstor=26873236 |volume=48 |issue=4 |pages=69–91|doi=10.1525/jps.2019.48.4.69 |s2cid=204447333 }}
* {{Cite speech |last=Hill |first=Marc Lamont |event=Special Meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People |location=New York City |title=Speech on the 70th Anniversary of the Nakba |date=30 November 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U8ZqI8N0ck |access-date=11 October 2023}}
== External links ==
* [https://unpacked.education/video/from-the-river-to-the-sea/ From the River to the Sea Explained], [[OpenDor Media#Unpacked|Unpacked]]
[[Category:Definition of antisemitism controversy]]
[[Category:Palestinian nationalism]]
[[Category:Political catchphrases]]
[[Category:Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
[[Category:Anti-Israeli sentiment]]
[[Category:Anti-Zionism]]
[[Category:Linguistic controversies]]
[[Category:Phrases related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict]]