1) Calls to replace a Jewish state with a Palestinian Arab state
- From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free
- From the river to the sea
- Palestine will be free
- Free free Palestine
- Viva viva Palestina
- We will chant in jubilation—until freedom and liberation
- End the occupation
- Long live Palestine, Israel is dead
river to the sea – from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, covering the entire land of Israel
free, freedom, liberation – terms used to indicate freedom and liberation from a Jewish-governed state anywhere in the Middle East.
occupation – Palestinian Liberation activists considers Jewish political and security control anywhere in the region (both Israel and the disputed territories) to be occupation of Palestinian land.
Explaining the message in their own words:
The Palestinian liberation movement seeks the complete return of ancestral homeland and the return of its people to this land. Palestinians do not view this as a movement of “equality,” or ending “apartheid.” Liberal zionists and their lobbies hope Palestinians buy into this agenda but it is wholly rejected… [Our fight] is not over until all land, from the river to the sea, has been returned to the indigenous Palestinians and the occupation has been totally dismantled. It is never over until imperialism is over. (Palestinian Resistance News Network’s Media Guide)
The fight for Palestinian liberation is a necessary struggle against an occupying and colonial state; not a “war” or “conflict.” It is a struggle for national liberation… The occupation and the existence of Israel is not peaceful; there is no ‘maintaining the peace’ with a violent settler state. (BDS & Palestine Solidarity Working Group Palestine Organizing Toolkit)
2) The Jewish State—an illegitimate, foreign entity to be eliminated
- We don’t want two states, we want ’48
- Nakba, seventy five years — Give back the land, stop the tears
- Displacing lives since ’48 – Nothing here to celebrate!
- 1-2-3-4 occupation no more — 5-6-7-8 smash the settler Zionist state
- Free the people free the land -Justice is our demand -No peace on stolen land.
- Hey hey, ho ho, Zionism/colonialism/imperialism has got to go!
- Decolonize Palestine
- Settler settler go back home — Palestine is ours alone
- Zionist settlers leave us alone, Palestine is our home
- Israel, Israel you shall learn! By the millions we’ll return!
- Right of Return for refugees
1948 – the year Israel was established
Nakba – the loss of the Arab war to annihilate the State of Israel in 1948
Displacing lives – a reference to the Palestinian Arabs who became refugees in the 1948 war waged by their leaders to wipe Israel off the map
Occupation – Palestinian Liberation activists consider Israeli political or security control of the land of Israel and the territories to be occupation of Palestinian land
Justice – the return of the Jewish state to Palestinian hands, which Palestinians claim is theirs by right
Stolen land – all of Israel. Palestinians claim they are the indigenous people, that Jews have no ancestral homeland, no history or right to the land of Israel
Colonialism/imperialism – Israeli habitation anywhere within the Jewish ancestral homeland, which Palestinians consider to be theirs
Decolonize/decolonization – to rid the land of Jewish cities, towns, collective communities, and neighborhoods
Settler – any Jew who lives in the area of Israel or in the disputed territories
Go back home – a call for Jews to leave Israel for Europe, which Palestinians claim Jews come from
Return – a call to anyone with Palestinian ancestry from anywhere in the world to move to Israel and become the dominant ethnic group to take over governance
Refugee – refers to any Arab, anywhere in the world with an ancestor who lived in the area before 1948
Explaining the message in their own words:
Anti-zionism means the dismantlement of the zionist entity. .. It is referred to as the zionist entity or “israel” because it is a colony… To Palestinians, the entirety of the zionist entity is a settlement. It is never over until imperialism is over.…This is a long and steadfast resistance movement against settler colonialism: The resistance has been consistent since the British invasion of Palestine and onward against settler colonialism… (Palestinian Resistance News Network’s Media Guide)
The occupation and the existence of Israel is not peaceful; there is no ‘maintaining the peace’ with a violent settler state…. decolonization is a call to action, a commitment to the restoration of Indigenous sovereignty. (BDS & Palestine Solidarity Working Group Palestine Organizing Toolkit)
3) Justifying/Glorifying Terrorism and Murder
- Resistance is justified when people are occupied
- Intifada intifada, long live the intifada
- We will honor all our martyrs!
- With our soul, with our blood, we sacrifice for you, Palestine.
Resistance – aka “armed struggle” includes suicide bombings, car rammings, stabbings and the sort of savagery perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists targeting civilians in Israel on Oct. 7
Occupied – the land of Israel that Palestinians claim is theirs by right
Intifada – lit. shaking off; refers to the use of violence to “shake off” or eliminate Israeli security or political control
Martyrs– those who are killed in the process of carrying out violent attacks on Israelis
With our soul, with our blood – with all means, including violence, even if we die in battle
Sacrifice – losing our life in the process of carrying out attacks on Israelis
Messaging Guidance by Hamas Supporting Groups: The Palestinian people have the right to resist colonization and oppression – this right is enshrined in international law. The Palestinian people have the right to return to their homeland and free themselves from the complete land, air, and sea siege they’ve been subjected to; this requires resistance, and it is both morally just and politically necessary. These events are the natural and justified response to decades of oppression and dehumanization… Resistance comes in all forms— armed struggle, general strikes, and popular demonstrations. All of it is legitimate, and all of it is necessary…You don’t get freedom peacefully. liberating colonized land is a real process that requires confrontation by any means necessary.”… (BDS & Palestine Solidarity Working Group Palestine Organizing Toolkit)
The resistance of Palestinians against violent settler colonialism is valid and it is not the role of any journalist or figure to decry this response, but rather to understand its manifestations. The right to resist via armed struggle is enshrined in international law (UN Res 45/130). However, it does not need Western law nor institutions for validation as this only centers the role of empire, colonialism, and capitalism. (Palestinian Resistance News Network’s Media Guide)
Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We must remove that country, because it constitutes a security, military, and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation, and must be finished. We are not ashamed to say this, with full force. We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again. The Al-Aqsa Flood [Oct. 7 massacre] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight. Will we have to pay a price? Yes, and we are ready to pay it. We are called a nation of martyrs, and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs. (Hamas official Ghazi Hamad)
4) Denying Israel the right to protect itself from Palestinian terrorists
- Palestine to Mexico– border walls have got to go!
- End the blockade on Gaza
- End the siege on Gaza now!
- How many lives must they give? — Stop the siege, let Gaza live
- Break the siege – free Gaza
- Demanding humanity in Palestine
- Humanity over politics
- Ceasefire now
Border walls – fence and wall system with monitored entry points to prevent Palestinian terrorists from infiltrating Israeli territory to carry out attacks
Blockade – Israel’s and Egypt’s enforcement of their respective borders with Hamas-run Gaza to prevent terrorists from entering their countries and to prevent materials used by Hamas for weaponry, tunnel bunkers and war on Israel, in effect since Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority (PA) and ended PA security enforcement there
Siege –Israel’s halt in providing supplies – water, electricity and fuel, food– to Hamas-run Gaza (although this halt was temporary), after Hamas launched its war on Israel on Oct. 7
As CAMERA’s Alex Safian pointed out, Gaza has its own water, fuel and food supply and the ending of Israel’s “humane gesture towards an entity run by popularly elected inhumane jihadists, determined to murder Jews and Israelis wherever the opportunity arises” does not completely cut off these supplies. But their own supplies were stockpiled by Gaza’s ruling Hamas for its continuing war on Israel. As Hamas politician Moussa Abu Marzouk asserted in a recent interview, the Hamas government is only responsible for its terrorist fighters and bears no responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens. Civilian casualties and suffering among Gazans is thus entirely the fault of its Hamas terrorist leaders whose control of Gaza Israel is seeking to end.
Humanity – an expression of concern for the civilians in Gaza who have become victims of their leaders
Hamas leaders have abdicated responsibility for Gazan civilians’ safety and sustenance and use them solely as human shields. Israel is nonetheless blamed for the suffering of Gazans as it tries to put an end to the malevolent leadership that has caused their ordeals.
Politics – Israel’s efforts to end terrorist rule over Gaza.
Ceasefire now – a call for Israel to abandon its efforts to end Hamas rule over Gaza and allow the terrorists to dominate and succeed in its stated mission of eliminating the Jewish state and its Jews.
5) Threats Against Supporters of the Jewish State/Calls to End Support for Israel
- Rise up, don’t back down — No Zionism in our town
- From the belly of the beast, no justice, no peace!
- While you’re shopping bombs are dropping
- No arms trade, draw the line — Rise up for Palestine
Justice – eliminating the Jewish state, withdrawing support for Zionism
Peace – freedom from being confronted, attacked, threatened and verbally abused
Bombs dropping – Israeli airstrikes on Hamas terrorist launching sites, bunkers, communication and planning headquarters
No arms trade, draw the line – a call to halt the transfer of Iron Dome missile defense systems to aid Israel’s air defense in repelling the missiles and rockets targeting civilians in its territory from Iranian-backed Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis.
6) Calling for Muslim violence against Jews
- “Khaybar, Khaybar Ya Yahud, Jaish Mohammed Sauf Ya’ud”
(Translation: Khayber, Khayber, oh Jews, the army of Mohammed will return.)
The first verse of a chant alluding to the battle of Khaybar that took place in 628 CE, in Saudi Arabia. Mohammed, the founder of Islam accused the Jewish residents of Khayber of conspiring with other Jewish tribes, as a pretext to massacre and expel Jews. The chant is used as a threat to Jews, to say “Watch out Jews, remember Khaybar, the army of Mohammed is returning.”