US House denounces ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ chant as ‘antisemitic’
The US House has approved a resolution denouncing the popular pro-Palestinian protest chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as antisemitic. The resolution calls for the condemnation of the slogan’s use.
The proposal was approved by a significant margin of 377-44-1 on Tuesday, as 43 Democrats and one Republican voted against it, while another member opted to vote “present.”
The resolution highlights that the language in question has been utilized in speeches by the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which are designated as “foreign terrorist organizations” by the US Congress.
Most of those who voted against the resolution were progressive-leaning Democrats, many of them currently campaigning in competitive primary races, including Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Cori Bush of Missouri, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Jamaal Bowman of New York.
The phrase has sparked intense debate since its use became more widespread amid daily protests against Israel’s war on Gaza following the Hamas-led 7 October surprise attack on Israeli military bases and civilian settlements within and around the Gaza envolope, which killed around 1,200. Israel’s indiscriminate war on Gaza has killed around 34,000, mainly women and children.
The resolution was part of a series of measures in the House this week related to antisemitism and rhetoric against Israel. Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan has been censored for invoking the phrase.
Though these words said by Palestinians and their advocates are widely seen as provocative, Israelis, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have used the same term to describe claims to the land. A version is used in the Likud Party’s charter.
“The right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel is eternal and indisputable… therefore, Judea and Samaria will not be handed to any foreign administration; between the Sea and the Jordan, there will only be Israeli sovereignty,” according to the 1977 Likud Party Platform.
Nevertheless, the focus of the phrase remains on pro-Palestinian advocates, whose chants will likely see further scrutiny as the conflict continues.
