Jamaal Bowman insists the slogan ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ is not hateful
During a debate on Monday, May 13, Rep. Jamaal Bowman insisted the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is not hateful
During a debate on Monday, May 13, Rep. Jamaal Bowman insisted the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is not hateful. The phrase, in simple words, calls for the destruction of Israel.
The two-term congressman, during Monday’s News 12 debate against Westchester County Executive George Latimer, defended anti-Israel protesters who use the phrase. The debate comes ahead of June’s Democratic primary. Notably, the Anti-Defamation League has said the controversial slogan calls for the annihilation of the Jewish state.
“I know some do, others don’t, I do not,” Bowman said in response to a question from a member of the audience.
Hitting back, Latimer said, “I think it is hate speech because I think it’s clear that from the river to the sea has meant specifically the eradication of the Jewish population from the land of Israel.” Latimer added that it is possible that some protesters chant the phrase without knowing what it actually means.
“What’s behind the marketing campaign that’s being advanced is to try to delegitimize Israel and that there be a free Palestine is a hopeful sign, but it has to accept the fact that there is an Israel there as well,” he said.
Earlier in the debate, Bowman insisted that he believes in Israel’s right to exist. He also said he wants a two-state solution.
Bowman has been a vocal critic of Israel. After the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, he called for a permanent ceasefire. He has consistently blasted Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
What does the Anti-Defamation League say about the controversial phrase?
On its website, the Anti-Defamation League says that the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is “antisemitic” and is “a call for a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, which would mean the dismantling of the Jewish state.”
“It is an antisemitic charge denying the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland,” the website insists. The website adds that using the slogan can make “members of the Jewish and pro-Israel community feel unsafe and ostracized.”
