Israel has been attacking Gaza for more than three weeks since the October 7 attack by Hamas. More than 8,000 people, including thousands of children, were killed in the attack. As pro-Palestinian protests spread across the world, the Jewish state of Israel faces isolation.
Flags and floats with images of watermelons are emerging as symbols of protest against Israel. Supporters of Palestine have been posting watermelon emojis on social media in solidarity. There are some reasons behind this. Do you know what that is?
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Watermelon is a symbol of resistance
The colors of the Palestinian flag are red, white, black and green. And this result symbolizes the culture and personality of the state. Watermelons are cultivated throughout Palestine from Jenin to Gaza. Watermelon has also been widely used in literary works of the country.
Over the years, it has become a symbol of resistance used by Palestinians to protest Israel’s suppression of their identity.
After the 1967 Six-Day War, when Israel seized control of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, the government made it a crime to display the Palestinian flag publicly in the occupied territory. But Israel banned not only the flag but many other things.
Artist Sliman Mansour told The National in 2021 that Israeli officials blocked an art exhibition in Ramallah in 1980 that featured works by him and other artists, including Nabil Anani and Issam Badarl. “They also said it was a crime to paint the Palestinian flag, and the colors on the flag were banned,” said artist Slimane.
But to circumvent this ban, Palestinians have started using the watermelon as a symbol of protest. Images of watermelons began appearing on art, shirts, murals, posters, and even as emojis on social media.
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The ban on the Palestinian flag was lifted with the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, the first formal agreement to resolve the conflict with Israel.But in the Gaza Strip, youths were once arrested for carrying sliced watermelons, journalist John Kifner wrote in a New York Times article.
Watermelons and the 2023 protests
In January 2023, the Palestinian flag returned to the world’s attention. Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gwiri has instructed police to confiscate Palestinian flags from public places. In June, a bill to ban the flag at state-funded institutions, including universities, was passed after receiving initial approval from Israel’s parliament, the Senate, according to a report in Haaretz.
Moreover, recently a young woman was arrested for waving a flag during a pride parade. But the police claimed that when they tried to grab the flag, they attacked the officers and that’s why the woman was arrested. Arab-Israeli peace organization Sassim launched a campaign to protest the crackdown on people waving flags in public. The campaign involved placing pictures of watermelons on shared taxis plying in Tel Aviv. The posters came with the message that this is not the Palestinian flag, The Times of Israel reported.
“We will always find a way to overcome any ban and we will not stop fighting for freedom of expression and democracy,” the outlet reported, quoting SASIM director Raluca Gania.
Watermelons are still seen in anti-Israel protests, especially in social media posts. Some have claimed that protesters in Germany, who have banned pro-Palestinian protests and symbols, are using watermelons to express their anger. Meanwhile, support for Palestine is growing, and it remains to be seen how Israel will respond.
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2023-10-31 14:24:30
