How the watermelon became a symbol of the pro-Palestinian movement
A viral TikTok filter uses the symbol and it has gradually started appearing at rallies, on posters and as protest art.
Sunday 10 December 2023 12:49, UK
Watermelons have appeared on placards at recent marches, and you may have spotted them on social media, but the history of this fruit and its links to the pro-Palestinian movement reaches back decades.
As the Palestinian flag was subjected to bans and restrictions within Israel at different points in time, the watermelon became a substitute for the Palestinian movement and gradually started appearing at rallies, on posters and as protest art.
Today, a viral TikTok filter can be seen using the symbol. Other users say they now avoid using the flag or even mentioning the word Palestine.
How did this start?
The watermelon first became an alternative to the Palestinian flag after the Six Day War in 1967, which saw Israel take control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and criminalise public displays of the flags.
During this time, the symbols of the watermelon featuring the red, white, green and black of the Palestinian flag were used as a way to circumvent the restrictions.
As the fruit naturally grows in the region, protesters had easy access to them and would also carry slices during demonstrations.
The ban was later lifted after the signing of a series of interim peace agreements called the Oslo Accords in 1993, but the symbol remained and is still used today.
Although laws restricting the flag no longer exist, activists have continued to use the symbol as key Israeli politicians spoke out against it.
Zazim, a community action group operating in Tel Aviv, has said it is responsible for stickers seen on taxis in the city that read: "This is not a Palestinian flag."
The stickers appeared above an image of a watermelon, as the debate returned to the forefront of politics in the region in 2023.
Why is it controversial?
Opposition to the flag often stems from concerns that it is connected to Hamas, the militant group that has ruled the Gaza Strip as a one-party state since 2007.
Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who effectively banned the Palestinian flag in 2023, shared a tweet earlier this year on the topic.
"It cannot be that lawbreakers wave terrorist flags, incite and encourage terrorism, so I ordered the removal of flags supporting terrorism from the public space and to stop the incitement against Israel."
Following several pro-Palestinian protests across the UK, former home secretary, Suella Braverman, said a Palestinian flag on British streets "may not be legitimate" if it is done to show support for acts of terrorism following the 7 October attacks.
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Supporters of the flag point to the Oslo Accords, which established the flag as that of the Palestinian Authority, and stress the importance of separating Hamas and the Palestinian people who feel represented by the flag.
The next generation of pro-Palestinian activists have adopted the symbol following the outbreak of war, highlighting the ongoing disagreement about what the Palestinian flag means to different communities and who it represents.