Australia and the World Past and Present

Since the latest flare-up of the Israel-Palestine conflict, pro-Palestine demonstrations have proliferated around the world.

A feature of these demonstrations have been the use of certain slogans and chants.

Some of these chants have been deeply concerning to Israelis and Jews.

Lets look at two at the them.

‘From the river to the sea.’

This phrase refers to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

This phrase can be found in the 2017 charter of Hamas.

According to the 2017 charter, Hamas believes that “Palestine…[is] from Ras al-Naqurah in the north to Umm al-rashrash in the south” (Article 2).

If the entire area is to be a Palestinian state, as envisioned by Hamas, what is their conception of a citizen of such a state?

“Palestine is a land of the Arab Palestinian people.” (Preamble)

“Palestine is an Arab Islamic land” (Article 3)

“The Palestinians are the Arabs who lived in Palestine until 1947…and every person that was born to a Palestinian father after that date.” (Article 4).

What does Hamas believe about attempts for a two-state solution?

“Hamas rejects all attempts to erase to the rights of the refugees, including the attempts to settle them outside Palestine and through the projects of an alternate homeland.” (Article 11)

“Hamas rejects any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.”

What is Hamas’ view of violence?

Resisting the occupation with all means and methods is a legitimate right” (Article 10).

Hamas does not see an Israeli state on any of the land on which it is currently located as legitimate. The conception of a Palestinian state includes all of the current state if Israel.

While the charter says that Hamas isn’t against Jews because they are Jewish, there doesn’t appear to be much place for them within Palestinian citizenship, as conceived by Hamas.

As of 2023 Israel has a population of over 9.5 million people.

Israel has many Jewish citizens (around 73%) but also has many Arab citizens (around 21 %). Most Arabs within Israel are Muslim. There are also over 150,000 Christians living inside of Israel.

Under a Palestinian state as conceived by Hamas, what would happen to Israeli Jews?

Jews have a long history of dislocation and persecution.

The Holocaust, in which the Jews were a target for genocide, remains front-of-mind in the Israeli national consciousness. Many Israelis are acutely sensitive to any language which seeks to target them for removal or extermination.

The 2017 charter says clearly that Hamas view violence as legitimate in carrying out its aims.

“Globalise the Intifada’

This phrase has also been condemned by many Israelis and Jews around the world.

The word Intifada means ‘rebellion’ or ‘uprising’.

There have been two historical periods of the Israeli-Palestine conflict which have been referred to as Intifada.

The first lasted from 1987 to 1993. It was characterised by mass protests and strikes by Palestinians.

The Second Intifada lasted from 2000 to 2005. The Second Intifada was much more controversial than the first. The Second Intifada was characterised by Palestinian suicide bombings and the targeting of Israeli civilians. Another feature was rocket attacks into Israel.

Part of the Israeli response to the Second Intifada included the use of tanks and airstrikes. The Israelis also set up more checkpoints and curfews. Thousand of Palestinians were arrested. Israel was accused of using targeted killings.

When many Israelis or Jews hear ‘globalise the Intifada’, it brings to mind connotations of violence and in particular the memory of the Second Intifada where many civilians were killed in suicide bombings.

Most governments around the world believe that a two-state solution is necessary in order to bring about a lasting and peaceful solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Calls for one-state solutions are particularly problematic. Calls for violence or attempts to legitimise violence are dangerous. It is a responsibility for all to try to understand what these phrases mean and whether they are the best way to engage with this conflict.