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The deceptive phrases that Hamas supporters shout are verbal weapons that ignite international outrage, intimidate and demoralize American Jews and silence those who want to support Israelis during this crisis. The chant “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free” actually is a call for the destruction of Israel and the annihilation of the Jewish people. Those who seek to destroy Israel use words to confuse us into believing that right is wrong and terrorism is heroic.
The devious rhetoric incites violence and hate-filled words turn into deadly actions. Recently, a pro-Palestinian protestor in California struck a Jewish man with a megaphone, forcing him backward and slamming his head onto the ground. Paul Kessler, aged 69, died. No one expects to go to a rally supporting Israel and not come home. Rabbi Moshe Bryski described the fear now facing American Jews: “We have a funeral coming up of someone who simply wanted to wave an Israeli flag.”
We live in a world where there no longer is one set of facts. The leaders of anti-Israel protests know that the facts are not on their side so they invent false narratives. They understand that overtly harmful terms like genocide, apartheid and colonization create negative emotional reactions. These leaders know that many of their followers believe only what they hear, so they leverage ignorance and repeatedly issue false statements until they are accepted as truth.
Free Palestine, From the River to the Sea = Israel’s Destruction and Genocide of Jews
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free!” is one of the most common slogans chanted at anti-Israel rallies. This statement does not support a two-state solution, nor any form of co-existence. The land area from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea includes the West Bank, Gaza and most importantly all of Israel.
“From the River” means the destruction of the Jewish state and the genocide of the Jews and their allies living in Israel. It is an anti-Jewish, antisemitic statement. “From the River” is a common call-to-arms for pro-Palestinian activists, especially on university campuses. It is also a rallying cry for terrorist groups and their sympathizers, from Hamas to certain members of the U.S. Congress.
Hamas cheerleaders like Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib falsely claim that “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” is actually “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction or hate.” But anyone who doubts her beliefs needs only to hear and see the words and actions of Palestinian leaders.
The Hamas charter explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel – and the genocide of Jews – leaving no room for peaceful coexistence. These are actual commands in the 1988 Hamas governing charter:
Hamas leaders make clear their intentions with their own words. Former Hamas chief Khaled Mashal – who has lived in luxurious accommodations in Qatar since 2012 – asserted that “October 7 paved a wide highway towards the removal of Israel, towards liberation and towards saving Jerusalem.”
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad declared:
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently visited Israel and made the link between the anti-Israel chants and the goal of Palestinian terrorists: “Everybody marching across the world right now, supposedly in support of a ‘Free Palestine, From the River to the Sea,’ in fact what they are doing, whether they intend it or not, is condoning the brutality and the murder that was conducted by those Hamas terrorists – and which, by the way, they would do again.”
Other Palestinian groups share similar goals. The Palestine Liberation Organization was created in 1964 – three years before Israel gained control of the West Bank from Jordan and Gaza from Egypt in a defensive war. The intent of the PLO wasn’t to liberate the West Bank and Gaza – it was to annihilate Israel and the Jewish people. Christians are often not welcomed in Gaza or the West Bank either as their population in Bethlehem and across the West Bank has rapidly declined.
The PLO was replaced by the Palestinian Authority in 1993. Yasser Arafat was the leader of both; he also founded the Fatah political party and its terrorist wing. Fatah terrorists have perpetrated many terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings against Israelis. Now, the PLO, PA and Fatah are led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is a known Holocaust denier and financier of the 1972 Munich Massacre of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the Olympics. He is considered a ‘moderate’ Palestinian leader.
Palestine was once synonymous with Israel and the Jewish people. Signs in Europe stated: “Jews go to Palestine.” Now, they read, “Jews get out of Palestine.” Jews are named after their ancestral homeland in Judea. The Roman Emperor Hadrian officially renamed the area that included Judea as Syria Palestina in 135 CE after his armies put down a Jewish revolt against Roman rule. The regional name Palestine continued to be in use until Israel declared its independence in 1948; Arabs outright rejected a two-state solution that offered a Palestinian state for Arabs.
What Would a ‘Free Palestine’ Ruled by Hamas Look Like?
Notable groups marching with Palestinian flags and calling for a ‘Free Palestine, From the River to the Sea’ in place of Israel include LGBT, feminist and some Christian movements. They seem to deny the discrimination or death they would face if they set foot in Gaza. The ruling Hamas regime rejects most of the basic principles at the heart of Western democracies – democracy, elections, free speech, religious tolerance and minority rights. These values would not exist in a future Palestinian state under an Iranian-backed Hamas rule. The PA is supposed to be a democracy but it has not held elections since 2006. President Abbas is in the 18th year of his four-year term. If elections were held today, polls project that Hamas would win and gain control of the West Bank.
Previous protests against the brutality of Hamas were documented in interviews with young Palestinians living in Gaza. Maha graduated from a Gaza university with a degree in journalism. She gave up on her dreams to become a journalist: “The policy of ‘muzzling’ affects all the media here. At the slightest misstep, they’ll shut down a broadcast or publication.” Recently, a mourning Palestinian woman in Gaza screamed, “This is all because of those dogs Hamas!” A Palestinian man quickly covered her mouth with his hand to silence her.
Women’s rights are severely restricted in Gaza. There is no law prohibiting violence against women. Palestinian women must follow a ‘code of modesty,’ and are required to wear a hijab in public. Recently, the 52nd annual NY Marathon was held: 44% of runners were women. The UN was forced to cancel the 2013 Gaza Marathon because Hamas would not allow any women to participate. The Hamas Charter makes clear the role of women in Palestinian society: to raise and educate children at home in the pursuit of jihad. Women are, however, allowed to “go fight the enemy without their husband’s permission.”
A Palestinian Islamic scholar preached: Gays “should be thrown headfirst from the rooftop of the tallest building, and then they should be stoned from the top.” The severed head and decapitated torso of a 25-year-old Palestinian man was found in the West Bank, exactly one year before the 10/7 massacres. Last year, Palestinian activists also prevented a gay Palestinian singer from performing in Ramallah because he is a “pervert.” Many gay Palestinians seek and receive refuge in Israel. Tel Aviv is known for its annual pride parade. Held since 1979, this year’s event attracted 150,000 participants from around the world.
“From the River” is one of many falsehoods promoted by Hamas supporters. Visit Antisemitism-911 for a complete list of myths and how to respond. The website also includes ways to help out, speak out, seek help and stay informed.
VIDEO: A Jewish activist asks Americans to sign a petition to help Hamas free Palestine. They are in full support until he reads them the fine print, proving that followers believe only what they hear.
1. Palestinians want the same freedoms Americans and Israelis enjoy
Palestinians living in Gaza are ruthlessly controlled by the autocratic Hamas leadership. Many Palestinians share the same desire for freedom, democracy and human rights that Americans and Israelis enjoy. They want a society where they can express themselves freely, participate in the political process and enjoy basic civil liberties without fear of repression or persecution. Despite the challenges they face, some Gazans have demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination in their quest for a more open and democratic society. The promotion of freedom and democracy is not only a moral imperative, but also vital for peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
2. Supporting Palestinians and Israelis is not mutually exclusive
Americans don’t need to choose a side in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In an interview with Bill Maher, Israel’s then Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization Noa Tishby, stated: “I’m pro-Israeli and I’m also pro-Palestinian.” It is important to recognize that supporting both communities is necessary to promote stability and peace in the region. Encouraging leaders to engage in constructive dialogue and negotiations can help bridge the divide and find common ground. Supporting initiatives that promote education and bring together Palestinian and Israeli youth to learn about each other’s cultures and histories can help break down barriers and foster understanding, essential for building a foundation of trust and cooperation.
3. Peace is NOT possible with Hamas or other terrorist groups in power
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “I don’t know how you can have a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire, with an organization like Hamas, which is dedicated to turmoil and chaos and destroying the State of Israel. I think what the Arab countries in the region understand is that Hamas has got to go.” The founding covenant of Hamas explicitly calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. Its control of Gaza is marked by authoritarianism, human rights abuses and a disregard for the welfare of Palestinians. Hamas is incapable of making Gaza thrive because it dedicates its resources to the destruction of Israel and not the construction of Gaza, and the betterment of its citizens.
A. Join the November 14 March for Israel in Washington, DC
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations together with the Jewish Federations of North America and many other Jewish organizations expect 250,000 to gather in support of Israel. The March for Israel has three goals: demand the return of the 240 hostages held by Hamas; call for action against rising levels of anti-Jewish hatred; and demonstrate support for Israel. https://www.marchforisrael.org
B. Jewish organizations offer hotlines for attacks against Jews on campus
The ADL, Brandeis Center, Hillel and Gibson Dunn law firm are offering pro bono legal services to university students, faculty, staff and families facing anti-Jewish hatred on university and college campuses, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Incidents can be reported at the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL) website or by texting “CALLhelp” to 5155 to report incidents of antisemitic discrimination, intimidation, harassment, vandalism or violence that may necessitate legal action. The StandWithUs legal team offers a similar service.
Written by Avigayil Knoll, a recent American Orthodox immigrant to Israel with her husband and four children.
In the first weeks of this war – while taking care of my children who were all home from school – I just cried and prayed for the safety of our people most of the day. When a plane flew overhead or we heard a boom in the distance from an Iron Dome interception, my younger children ran to me scared and asked if we should go into our bomb shelter. We shuffled our family into a safe room several times every day.
Even now, I still see fear, sadness, uncertainty and exhaustion on the faces of my neighbors when we pass on the street. The trauma lingering from the 10/7 massacres is still visible. Soldiers patrol my neighborhood, giving my children a feeling of safety while they cautiously play at the nearby park. Before going anywhere, everyone checks to make sure there is a mamad (safe room) that is reachable in less than 90 seconds.
Every night, I check on my children multiple times as they sleep. Waves of gratitude for these precious lives flood me. A moment later, I walk out of their room and tears fall down my face as I think of my Jewish brothers and sisters across my precious country who cannot do what I’m doing. They walk past empty beds and rooms frozen in time – looking exactly as they did right before their precious child was kidnapped by the Hamas barbarians. Families have been destroyed. Homes burned. Bodies mutilated. Every single Jew here feels those horrors in our bones. We all carry our nation’s collective grief, anger and the united resolve to win this war.
We each carry our own pain while helping to shoulder another’s – all coming together to fill every need. The lines between us all have blurred. Regardless of religious views or political leaning, Jews are helping Jews everywhere we go, because we now feel like a united family. Being Jewish is what unites us, and everything that has always divided us simply doesn’t matter anymore. We treat our community’s needs as superior to our own. We extend kindness in place of judgement, encouragement in place of criticism and charity in place of selfishness.
Mothers and daughters weep and pray, gather to recite Psalms and create WhatsApp groups to support each other. Fathers and sons are learning Torah, volunteering in our communities or were called up for their military reserve duty. We send supplies and cook food for soldiers. Children color pictures and write messages of hope to be sent with the food deliveries. Many teenage girls are offering free babysitting to mothers whose husbands are serving. Israelis work night and day to find temporary furnished homes, clothes and other necessities for the thousands of Israeli families displaced from the borders with Gaza and Lebanon. Jews across the country are helping each other in every way imaginable and it’s the most beautiful expression of Jewish identity that I’ve ever seen.
Being a passionate, religious Zionist living in Israel during this war, my connection to the people and the land is now on a whole different level. I’ve had family and friends in America ask me why I don’t just leave and fly back to wait out the war. I told them that if I was offered a first class ticket I wouldn’t take it. Even during a war, there is nowhere on Earth I would rather be. I am home. I am part of the country and Israel is part of me. I would never abandon my nation and my people in a time of crisis when we need each other more than ever. I am honored and proud to be here and to be raising my children in Israel, where everyone is proud to be Jewish – more so now than ever before.
