The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan resolution on Tuesday that condemns the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as “outrightly antisemitic,” according to a release from Rep. Josh Gotteimer (R-NJ) who was one of three leading representatives behind the resolution.
The resolution said the slogan is “an antisemitic call to arms with the goal of the eradication of the State of Israel, which is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.”
According to the resolution, the slogan seeks to deny Jewish people the right to self-determination and calls for the removal of the Jewish people from their ancestral homeland.
The meaning behind the slogan
The resolution further outlines instances where terrorist organizations, including Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah, used and continue to use this slogan as a rallying cry.
“This slogan rejects calls for peace, stability, and safety in the region; this slogan perpetuates hatred against the State of Israel and the Jewish people, and anyone who calls for the eradication of Israel and the Jewish people is antisemitic and must always be condemned,” the resolution stated.
In the release, Gottheimer said that as members of Congress, he and fellow leads Rep. Anthony D’Espositio and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (R-FL) have a right and responsibility to condemn “disgusting, divisive and dehumanizing chants.”
“I will never stop fighting against prejudice and hate – in any form,” Gottheimer said.
The resolution passed with support from 215 Republicans and 162 Democrats. Forty-three Democrats voted against the resolution, with one Republican voting against it as well.
The resolution has no legal standing.