(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . From the river to the sea? [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-11-11 The title of this post is obviously familiar to everyone following the conflict in the middle east. What does it mean? Is it a call for genocide, as some critics allege? The most sensible take on this comes from Jon Chait. You can follow the back and forth on this twitter thread x The question is what people who use "from the river to the sea" believe. Changing the question to "what jew-haters celebrating Hamas" believe turns it into a different, circular question. — Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) November 10, 2023 “River to the sea” means different things to different people. As Chait notes, it can mean a call to genocide (i.e. to kill all Jews, or Palestinians… which I will describe below), or a call to create a single state (or binational state) with equal rights for all. The intent of the person using that phrase does matter. As this Guardian article (and others) have noted, Palestinian advocates are not the only ones to have used the “River to the sea” slogan. The founding charter of the Likud party also uses the phrase, and (in a creative twist) simultaneously claims that this “river to the sea” Israeli state is the only possible pathway to peace. a. The right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel is eternal and indisputable and is linked with the right to security and peace; therefore, Judea and Samaria will not be handed to any foreign administration; between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty. b. Any plan which relinquishes parts of western Eretz Israel, undermines our right to the country, unavoidably leads to the establishment of a "Palestinian State," jeopardizes the security of the Jewish population, endangers the existence of the State of Israel. and frustrates any prospect of peace. This “river to the sea” phrase is not found in the 2018 Israeli nation-state law, but you can definitely see something like it in the text 3 — The capital of the state Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel. 7 — Jewish settlement A. The state views the development of Jewish settlement as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment and consolidation. The Capital is to include the whole of Jerusalem, including those portions outside the Green line, and the state sees value in building settlements outside the Green line (i.e. from the river to the sea). Now, the text does not specifically mention settlements outside the Green line, but that is clearly implied. Given that both sides have used the slogan, it is imperative to gauge the intent before deciding whether those using the slogan are genocidal maniacs (or even apartheid segregationists), or those who want to see equal rights for all in a new state. In the current cycle, it is clear that the slogan is being used mostly by Palestinians, and Palestine supporters. By contrast, Israeli supporters are the ones who are saying that use of the slogan equates to a call for genocide. Here is President Biden’s spokesperson: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday declined to comment directly on the House voting to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., over her comments on the Israel-Hamas war, but called a rallying cry used by the congresswoman "hurtful" and "divisive." But Jean-Pierre sought to distance the White House from Tlaib's use of the "from the river to the sea" slogan that has been identified as antisemitic by the Anti-Defamation League because it can be interpreted as a call for the elimination of the Jewish state, with a Palestinian state replacing it from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. "It is divisive, it is hurtful. Many find it hurtful, many find it antisemitic... Remember Israel is defending itself from terrorists who committed a horrific act," Jean-Pierre said at a White House press briefing on Wednesday. Thankfully she does not say that it equates to a call for genocide, just that it is hurtful (i.e. that others find it to be a call to genocide). Obviously, the White House is not alone in this. Rashida Tlaib was censured by the House for using the phrase. Likewise, the British Labor party suspended Andy McDonald (one of it’s leaders) on a similar charge. On the other hand, Palestinian critics charge that those criticizing the slogan are Islamophobic. In 2021, the Palestinian-American writer Yousef Munayyer argued that those who saw genocidal ambition in the phrase, or indeed an unambiguous desire for the destruction of Israel, did so due to their own Islamophobia. It was instead, he argued, merely a way to express a desire for a state in which “Palestinians can live in their homeland as free and equal citizens, neither dominated by others nor dominating them”. I will revert back to Jon Chait’s conclusion. Those who use the phrase can do so for different reasons. It *can* be a call for genocide. It *can also be* a call for ethnic cleansing and the creation of an apartheid state (which is essentially what the Likud party manifesto and Israel’s 2018 Nation State law amounts to). It *can also be* a call for a binational state with equal rights for all. Likewise, the same courtesy should be extended to critics of the slogan. They could be criticizing the slogan because they are Islamophobic, or because of some other genuine reason (for instance, the equal binational state is not practical). It is important to gauge the intent of those who use the slogan, and also those who condemn the slogan, before condemning them in turn (or praising them). Rashida Tlaib used that slogan, but she clearly does not want to see genocide (or ethnic cleansing, for that matter). And so, I was very disappointed in the White House’s response to that controversy. Joe Biden is my President, and I expect better from him. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/11/11/2205151/-From-the-river-to-the-sea?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/