Slogans That Promote Anti-Israel Demonization, Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism
Multiple slogans that aim to show solidarity with the cause of justice for Palestinians have double messages against Israel and Jews. Because of ambiguous or multiple meanings, the same slogan may be heard as benign or as threatening, depending on who is hearing the chant and the mood of the crowd—similarly to the way that dog whistles operate differently between those who understand their coded meanings and those who do not.
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free”
This chant is a slightly altered version of “From Water to Water, Palestine will be Arab”—a call for the elimination of Israel, and any Jewish presence in the land, that has been heard for decades from protests organized in Arab capitals like Cairo, Damascus, and Jordan, when those countries were poised to attack Israel.Militant and far-right Israelis had their own version of the chant (which rhymes in Hebrew): “From the Sea to the River, All of Israel Will be Ours.” This history shows that both sides have used these “river and sea” chants as calls for violence and exclusion. While the word “free” is ambiguous—it can be read as threatening (for the area between the river and the sea to be free of Jews) or as a positive message of freedom for Palestinians—many Jews and Israelis hear a threat to their personal safety, especially given the aims of multiple states and terrorist groups to eliminate Israel.
“Globalize the Intifada”
A more explicit slogan that calls for violence against Jews around the world. Palestinian rights activists often claim that “intifada” merely means “struggle” and reflects legitimate aspirations. But “intifada” includes “armed struggle,” not peaceful protest. The First and Second Intifadas were violent, armed struggles that included terror attacks, suicide bombings and murders of innocent civilians. A call to “globalize” an “armed struggle” aims to exact violence against Jews around the world.
“By Any Means Necessary”
Another common slogan calling for violence to eliminate Israel. This slogan expressly endorses the Hamas terror attack on Israel as a “necessary means” in the goal of eliminating Israel and its supporters around the world.
“Free Palestine”
At once both the most innocuous-sounding and potentially the most troubling of the slogans. Since the word “free” also suggests “freeing the land from Israeli control” and ridding Palestine of Jews, it carries a tone that is threatening and provocative to Jewish audiences. Politicians on the Left have been very slow to associate this chant with left-wing antisemitism when it is shouted during violent terror attacks on Jews and Israelis. (see murder of hostage marcher in Boulder and Washington DC murder of Israeli embassy staff members Yaron Lichinsky and Sarah Milgram outside the Capitol Jewish Museum)
“Kill IDF” / “Death to the IDF”
Chants at rallies in Europe that have led to violent assaults against Jews. Since military service in the Israel Defense Forces is mandatory and nearly universal, the call amounts to a call to kill Israeli adults and is heard by those who have served their country as a call for violence against them.
When these slogans are chanted, we have to ask, “Where are the Jewish voices?” “Palestinian rights are human rights” is a chant most American liberal Jews would support. But the same rallies say nothing about Jewish rights or Israeli rights. Israeli flags are not flying in the crowds. Within social justice movements, Jews today are often afraid to bring signs of their Zionist or Israeli connections, or even religious symbols that mark them as Jewish. (See Understanding Zionism.)
The prevalence of these slogans on the Left creates a culture that normalizes anti-Israel hate, reinforces litmus tests that exclude Jews and Zionists regardless of their commitments to justice and democratic values, and creates a hostile environment for Jewish participation in the struggle to protect democracy in America.
Jews who object to these slogans have had their concerns marginalized or ignored, been told to “stop whining,” or lectured as to why this is a “non-issue.” This directly contradicts the principle that marginalized and persecuted minorities should be allowed to define their own trauma and discrimination. Hate speech and encoded speech that targets Jews should not be acceptable on the Left. It needs to be repudiated given the reality of the steep rise of antisemitism.