The United States Congress recently declared the Palestinian slogan/chant: "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" as anti-Semitic via an overwhelmingly passed resolution. The phrase has been chanted at universities and anti-Israel rallies around the U.S. since Hamas attacked the Jewish state on Oct. 7. They now consider this to be hate speech.
The slogan, which dates to the 1960s, calls for a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Critics say the motto is a call for the eradication of Israel and its people. "Our resolution makes it clear that the slogan 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' is antisemitic and calls for the total eradication of the Jewish, democratic state of Israel and the annihilation of the Jewish people," said one of its sponsors, Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).
The measure passed the GOP-controlled chamber 377-44, with 43 Democrats and Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky voting against it. Another Democrat, Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, voted "present."
Among others who voted "nay" were so-called Squad members Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and House Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) also voted against the resolution, months after she was censured for her harsh rhetoric toward Israel, including repeated use of the phrase. At the time, Tlaib called the slogan "an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate."
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According to Gottheimer, the Congress has the responsibility to "condemn disgusting, divisive, and dehumanizing chants" and fight against "prejudice and hate." The other two sponsors were New York Republican Anthony D'Esposito and Florida Democrat Jared Moskowitz. D'Esposito also declared on social media that "America will always #StandWithIsrael." "No more excuses, it's a call for self-determination in Palestine," he posted. "It's a call for Jewish genocide and the elimination of the only Jewish state."
"Anyone who calls for the eradication of Israel and the Jewish people are antisemitic and must always be condemned," the resolution concluded.
However, news outlet RT pointed out that the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits Congress from making any laws limiting the freedom of speech, press or assembly. The U.S. therefore has no "hate speech" laws or legal grounds for government censorship.
But Gottheimer argued that Jewish organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Jewish Committee have already condemned the chant as anti-Semitic. His statement also mentioned that the ADL has recorded "nearly 9,000 antisemitic incidents" in the U.S. in 2023, mostly after Oct. 7, and the highest number since 1979, when such record-keeping began. According to the ADL, chants and slogans count as "incidents."
Israel’s ruling Likud party has its own version of the slogan in its platform, declaring that "between the Sea and the Jordan, there will only be Israeli sovereignty," which explicitly rejects any Palestinian statehood in the West Bank. (Related: From all rivers to all seas, ALL human beings deserve to be free.)
Not all Jewish organization were in favor of the measure
According to reports, not all Jewish organizations agreed with the move to define the protest chant as antisemitic. Americans for Peace Now, the U.S. sister organization of the left-wing Peace Now group in Israel, accused those who voted for the motion of "feeding red meat to trolls."
"Absolute failure by everyone who voted for this," the organization posted on X, formerly Twitter. "Disagree or dislike the phrase as much as you would like, but you can’t legislate a slogan away."
The left-leaning non-profit was first to call on Biden to push transition from "war to peacekeeping" and suggested first crack in broad support for Israel's offensive among American Zionist organizations. "Continuing this devastating war poses unacceptable risks for Israel, Gazan civilians and the entire region," James Klutznick, the group's chairman, said back in January in a statement. "For the sake of the security and well-being of civilians in Israel and in Gaza, the Biden administration must push Israel to bring about an immediate cessation of hostilities and pivot from war to peacemaking."
The statement came as a sign that American Jewish groups' broad support for Israel in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 invasion has fractured. Up until now, the only Jewish groups to call for a ceasefire have been anti-Zionist or non-Zionist and have focused their criticism on Israel since the outset of the current conflict. The rest of the Jewish organizational spectrum, from right to left, expressed support for Israel's war effort.
Americans for Peace Now is a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the consensus-driven foreign policy coalition of American Jewish organizations that has one overriding mission: backing Israel.
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