US Congress declares Palestinian slogan ‘anti-Semitic’ — RT World News
The US House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to condemn the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be liberated.” Like hate speech.
The slogan, which dates back to the 1960s, calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Israel said this implicitly denies its right to exist in the same area.
“Our decision makes clear that the slogan ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ is an anti-Semitic slogan and calls for the complete elimination of the democratic Jewish State of Israel and the extermination of the Jewish people.” said one of his sponsors, Congressman Josh Gottheimer.
Congress bears responsibility “Condemning disgusting, divisive and inhumane chants” And fight 'Prejudice and hatred' Gottheimer, a Democrat from New Jersey, added. The other two cosponsors were New York Republican Anthony D'Esposito and Florida Democrat Jared Moskowitz.
The decision was approved by a majority of 377 votes against 44 opposing votes. Only one Republican, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted against it on constitutional grounds. The other 43 were from “gradual” Faction of Democrats.
The First Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits Congress from enacting any laws abridging the freedom of speech, press, or assembly. So the United States does not have “hate speech” Laws or legal reasons for government censorship.
The recent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a domestic political challenge for governing Democrats, as they rely on the votes of both liberal Jews and Muslim immigrants.
Gottheimer noted that prominent Jewish organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Jewish Committee condemned the chant as anti-Semitic. His statement also stated that the ADL had been registered “Nearly 9,000 anti-Semitic incidents” in the United States in 2023 — mostly after October 7 — which is the highest number since 1979, when record keeping began. According to the ADL, chants and slogans are also considered “Accidents”.
It happened on October 7 when Hamas, the Palestinian armed group based in Gaza, raided nearby Israeli military bases and villages, killing more than 1,100 Israelis and taking more than 200 hostage. West Jerusalem responded by declaring war on the movement and invading Gaza. The military operation has turned a large part of the Strip into rubble and claimed the lives of more than 33,000 Palestinians over the past six months, according to local authorities.
Israel's ruling Likud party has its own version of the slogan in its platform, announcing this “Between the sea and Jordan there will be nothing but Israeli sovereignty.” Which explicitly rejects any Palestinian state in the West Bank.
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