This is a chant that refers to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which comprises Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. This geographic area encompasses the entirety of Israel within its internationally recognized borders, as well as all Palestinian territories, effectively calling for the elimination of Israel as a sovereign Jewish state.
This chant is heard frequently at anti-Israel protests and rallies. It means that the entirety of the land between the river and the sea will be rid of Jews. It is a call to ethnically cleanse the land of Jews and eradicate the world’s only Jewish state. The slogan originated with the PLO in the 1960s when its explicit charter called for armed struggle to eliminate Israel, and was later adopted by Hamas, whose founding covenant explicitly calls for Israel’s destruction and contains numerous antisemitic passages.
While some protesters claim the slogan merely advocates for Palestinian rights, its historical context and continued use by organizations openly calling for Israel’s elimination reveal its true meaning. The Hamas leadership explicitly reaffirmed this interpretation following October 7, 2023, when Khaled Mashal declared that “from the river to the sea” means “there is no Israel in the middle.” This interpretation is further confirmed by the chant’s frequent pairing with calls for “intifada” and other violent rhetoric at demonstrations.
The phrase effectively demands the elimination of self-determination for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, a right recognized under international law and affirmed by the United Nations. It offers no pathway for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians, instead advocating for the replacement of the world’s only Jewish state with a 23rd Arab state. Multiple human rights organizations and government bodies have recognized the slogan as antisemitic hate speech precisely because it calls for the elimination of Israel and, by extension, Jewish self-determination.
Genuine advocacy for Palestinian rights and statehood can and should be expressed through language that affirms the rights of both peoples to self-determination, such as calls for “two states for two peoples” or “peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians,” approaches that recognize the legitimate national aspirations of both groups.
Sources
[1] PLO and Hamas Foundational Documents Archive, “Historical Development of Palestinian Political Rhetoric,” 2023.
[2] Al Jazeera, “Interview with Khaled Mashal,” November 2023.
[3] Anti-Defamation League, “Antisemitic Slogans and Rhetoric,” 2024.
[4] United Nations, “Self-Determination in International Law,” 2020.