Comment by pydry
2 years ago
>Again, people may use it trying to say something else, but slogans do not exist in a vacuum.
"From the river to the sea, palestine will be free" implies a desire to see freedom not genocide.
If you're looking for slogans that genuinely impute racist genocidal intent look no further than the Israeli Prime Minister's references to Amalek.
People who say that they support Israel may not believe this imputed genocidal intent is what they support that in a practical sense it is.
The Arabic phrase is chanting "From Water to Water, Palestine will be Arab". Freedom is only in the English translation for the sake of the rhyme, and presumably palatability to English speaking audiences.
> "From the river to the sea, palestine will be free" implies a desire to see freedom not genocide.
To read it literally (and choose one of many possible literal interpretations), doesn't work in this situation, if it ever works. It's not a statement someone just now made up on the spot in an isolated context; it's a slogan in an extremely politicized situation, with many years of history and meaning upon it.
It absolutely works.
If you want to play join the dots from slogan to genocidal racism, Netanyahu's references to Amalak is what you are looking for.
"Arbeit macht frei" implies a desire to see freedom not genocide.
One of my favorites is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - North Korea. See, they're a democracy - for the people! :) Words, by themselves, are so easy to lie with.
Or the Antifaschistischer Schutzwall—“Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart”—better known as the Berlin Wall.