The watermelon (Levantine Arabic : بطيخ, romanized: baṭṭīkh) has been used as a symbol of Palestinian perseverance and resistance [1] in protests and works of art, representing the Palestinian cause in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. [2] [3] [4] It started being used as such in response to Israeli suppression of the display of the Palestinian flag after the 1967 War, as the watermelon has the same colors as the flag: red, green, white, and black.
The flag of Palestine, coloured in the Pan-Arab colors of red, green, white and black, had been banned in Israel in certain situations, leading to the locally grown and similarly coloured watermelon taking its place in Palestinian iconography as an alternative for decades. There are reports of instances of Israeli forces banning the display of the flag, which led to artists using the watermelon in its place. [5] [6] Under Israeli law, flying the Palestinian flag is not a crime. [7] Since 2014 Israeli police have had the authority to confiscate a flag if it is used in support of terrorism or disrupts public order. [8] In 1980, the IDF shut down an art gallery in Ramallah. According to the exhibit organizer, the IDF explained that the rules forbade Palestinians from displaying red, green, black and white, and the watermelon is an example of art that violated the Israeli army's rules. [9]
As of 2022 Israeli police has been routinely confiscating flags. [10] In January 2023, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir announced he had instructed the police to ban the flag's showcasing in public spaces. [11] [8] Israel's restriction on the Palestinian flag were criticized by Amnesty International as an attempt to legitimize racism, adding that the Palestinian flag has been used for the past decades as "a symbol of unity and resistance to Israel’s unlawful occupation". [12]
In 1993, as part of the Oslo Accords, the flag was recognized by Israel as that of the Palestinian Authority. [13] At the time, The New York Times claimed "young men were once arrested for carrying sliced watermelons", [14] but Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour has cast doubt on the validity of these claims. A later editor's note to the article says "Given the ambiguity of the situation, The Times should either have omitted the anecdote or made it clear that the report was unconfirmed." [14] Mansour remembers an early conversation about it, but does not recall any actual watermelon iconography being used until 2007, when Khaled Hourani created an image for a "Subjective Atlas of Palestine" project. Other artists who have used the watermelon include Sarah Hatahet, Sami Boukhari, Aya Mobaydeen and Beesan Arafat. [15]
In 2023, the Israeli Ministry of National Security banned the Palestinian flag in public places. In response, many Israelis displayed watermelon stickers with "This is not a Palestinian flag." [9]
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023, the watermelon symbol has experienced a resurgence in popularity. Individuals have been leveraging it, often using watermelon emojis (🍉) on various social media platforms to show support for Palestine. [2] In particular, the symbol may be used to circumvent censorship and shadow banning on some platforms (a practice called "algospeak"), avoiding more overt symbols such as Palestinian flags. [16] For example, when the Dutch MP Esther Ouwehand (Party for the Animals) was told to change her Palestinian flag shirt during a debate, she returned in a printed watermelon-themed shirt. [17]
In the Gaza Strip, where young men were once arrested for carrying sliced watermelons—thus displaying the red, black and green Palestinian colors—soldiers stand by, blasé, as processions march by waving the once-banned flag
Media related to Watermelon (Palestinian symbol) at Wikimedia Commons
