“The slogan ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ is frequently heard at pro-Palestinian rallies and protests worldwide.

At first glance, one might wonder why anyone would object to a defiant call for an end to the decades-long oppression and occupation of Palestine. However, this simple chant has recently become a subject of debate regarding its interpretation, which many, including Jewish groups, claim is antisemitic.

The origins of the phrase go back to the 1940s. The river the chant refers to is the Jordan River which lies to the east of the West Bank and Israel while the sea is the Mediterranean Sea, on the west. The area in between consists of 7 million Palestinians who live under Israeli rule.

The entire land between the river and the sea used to be historically Palestine.“

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