The watermelon fruit has become a symbol of solidarity among Palestinian people. During the Israel-Hamas war, an increase in censorship was observed on digital platforms. Users who want to overcome control on the internet use watermelon emoji. This fruit has been used as a symbol of solidarity among the Palestinian people for many years. This symbolic transformation of the watermelon was shaped by political events and social changes in Palestine over a historical process.
The watermelon emoji, which has colors similar to the Palestinian flag, is preferred to bypass censorship, especially on social media platforms. So, what does the Watermelon emoji mean? Why do Palestinians use the “Watermelon” symbol?
Transformation of Watermelon into Palestine Solidarity Symbol
of watermelon Palestinians Its use as a symbol between people emerged after the Six-Day War in 1967. During this period, Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza and annexed East Jerusalem. The Israeli government at that time Palestinian flagHe deemed it a crime to display openly in Gaza and the West Bank. However, in 1993, this ban was lifted by the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The flag was adopted as the representation of the Palestinian Authority, which will govern Gaza and the West Bank.
In 1993, The New York Times reported that in the Gaza Strip, right after the Oslo Accords, watermelon reported that young men carrying the slice were detained, but later removed this detail from the news and stated that they could not confirm the information about the watermelon slice.
Another story about the symbolization of the watermelon slice took place in 1980 at the “79 Gallery” art gallery. In this gallery, there was an exhibition of artists such as Sliman Mansour, Nabil Anani and Issam Badr, which was closed by Israeli soldiers. Israeli soldiers closed the exhibition on the grounds that, in addition to political works, there were also works bearing the colors of the Palestinian flag. According to The National, Issam Badr, who opposed this situation, asked the Israeli soldier, “What if I had just drawn a watermelon?” ‘ he asked, and the soldier replied, ‘That too would be confiscated.’
Explaining what happened years after the incident, Sliman Mansour said, “They told us that the Palestinian flag and also its colors were banned. And Issam asked them, ‘What if I drew a red, green, black and white flower?’ asked. The soldier said angrily: ‘It would be confiscated. “Even if you draw a watermelon, it will be confiscated,” he replied. “I mean, watermelon was mentioned, but by an Israeli soldier.” Mansour added that he had no memory of the watermelon or watermelon slice being used as a political symbol at that time.
After hearing Sliman Mansour’s story, Khaled Hourani painted a watermelon slice on canvas for a project called “Subjective Atlas of Palestine” in 2007. This work was later exhibited in many countries such as Scotland, France, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. This was considered the beginning of the symbolic transformation of the watermelon in Palestine.
Draft Law Prohibiting the Display of the Palestinian Flag
Israel, Although it lifted the ban on the Palestinian flag as part of the Oslo Accords in 1993, in 2021 Benjamin Netanyahu After the establishment of the government, a ban was brought to the agenda again. At the center of these latest developments is the fascist Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir encouraged enforcement of this ban by instructing the police to remove Palestinian flags from public spaces. Then, in June, a bill was developed to ban the display of the Palestinian flag, including in state-funded institutions. According to Haaretz newspaper, this regulation was approved by Israel’s legislative body, the Knesset.
Against the preparations for this new ban, the Arab-Israeli peace organization called Zazim used a remarkable protest method. He placed the watermelon-shaped Palestinian flag on commercial taxis operating on the streets of Tel Aviv. “If you want to stop us, we will find other ways to express ourselves,” said Haifa resident Amal Saad, who organized Zazim’s watermelon campaign. Images of watermelon slices and vehicles with the words “This is not a Palestinian flag” were also shared on Zazim’s social media accounts. This action stood out as a creative protest against freedom of expression and bans on Palestinian symbols.
