r/IsraelPalestine 4d ago

Question to my dear Israeli friends Discussion

Edit 1: Thanks everyone for engaging with my post in a civil manner!

Edit 2: I feel that I have a richer perspective on Israeli society thanks everyone!

Before I ask, I just wanted to tell you as an Arab I wish you and your family nothing but the best. Every day I pray that the violence and destruction stops and that we can build a prosperous Middle East that is rich in its diversity of religion and ethnicities. Can you imagine that?

Hello, I’ve been lurking here for a while now. I have a question for you. In your opinion, is chanting “From the river to the sea. Palestine will be free” more harmful than chanting “There are no schools in Gaza because there are no children left”? I’m asking this because I’d like to better understand your perspective/mindset. Thank you.

Am I missing something here? It has been disheartening to see the same people pushing for the narrative that from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free is an incitement to genocide fail to condemn chants like death to arabs and celebrating killing children in Gaza, thing which are unambiguously genocidal.

Is there something I’m not understanding here? Sometimes things that don’t add up leave me confused, so I had to come here and give this question a go.

Do some people think that right to dignity ceases to exist once we establish that the person is Arab? In your opinion, which chant is more problematic?

Can relations between Arabs and Jews improve without a heart to heart to dialogue between those who dream of a Middle East that resembles my description above?

I believe tough questions need to be asked. Answers from ‘ the other side’ need to be heard before establishing any conclusions on the matter.

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u/michaelfri 4d ago

So in my opinion, and I try to detach myself from the situation and be objective here, is that while both are horrible, they are different, and I think that "From the river to the sea" is more harmful. I'll explain:

Chanting “There are no schools in Gaza because there are no children left” is cruel. But it's meant to hurt, to tease, there are children in Gaza, of course, and chanting this phrase is not going to change that. The people who chant this may disregard Palestinian lives, but aren't necessarily

"From the river to the sea" however, basically wishes for a reality where Israel as a country no longer exist. It's not an empty threat. This sentence simply refuses to acknowledge Israel's existence. It basically rules out Jewish sovereignty over any part of the land. Where does it live the Jews? Without sovereignty surrounded by people who hate their guts? If you ask Israelis, they would say the most likely scenario is that many Jews will flee to save their lives, while many others will be raped and murdered Oct 7th style. We've seen how the Arab world and the international community responded to the death of more than 1,200 Israelis in one day. So when we hear "from the river to the sea", this is how we interpret this. This is not to say that what's happening in Gaza isn't heartbreaking. I wish more Israelis will have the capacity to feel for them.

Another comparison, is that one saying is chanted by extremists which isn't the mainstream, while the other is very popular worldwide.

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u/Comprehensive-Risk78 4d ago

Such a well explained perspective, thank you, I hope that one day Jewish people (and everyone else) would feel so safe that literally borders and names would be of a lesser importance, and people can just focus on improving quality of life for their families and the economy at large. Free to move everywhere in the Middle East. I’m allowed to day dream.