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Speaking before the United Nations, CNN progressive contributor Marc Lamont Hill invoked a phrase that has been used to signify the destruction of the nation of Israel in order for a new nation of Palestine to rise in its place. He said justice requires a “free Palestine, from the river to the sea.”
This is silly. And inaccurate. “River to the sea” is a phrase that precedes Hamas by more than 50 years. It also has a variety of meanings. In my remarks, which you clearly didn’t hear, I was talking about full citizenship rights IN Israel and a redrawing of the pre-1967 borders. https://t.co/6jFN22mTcq
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) November 28, 2018
His excuse is either an outright lie or he’s completely ignorant of what the phrase means in modern times to Palestinians and Israelis alike. When phrases become popularly used with a particular connotation and accepted reference, those who say them cannot retroactively claim them to mean something else.
Outside of the BDS and pro-Israel movements in America and particularly on campuses (Hill is a professor at Temple University), it’s possible that many if not most Americans are unfamiliar with the phrase. But in Israel, the phrase has one meaning. Among Palestinians, the phrase has one meaning.
The easiest way to understand this is to invoke a phrase most Americans know. Imagine if someone spoke before the United Nations and in the middle of their speech they said, “there is only one path to law and order in the United States. We must vote to Make America Great Again.” Nobody American would think this person was supporting the Democrats. The words have had many meanings over the decades, but today those words mean supporting President Trump.
Here’s a screenshot of an article on Times of Israel that puts the phrase in clearer context.
Conservative news outlets are picking up the story, but so far I haven’t seen any leftist publications calling him out. Antisemitism is rampant on the left as the BDS movement claims newly indoctrinated sheep every day. They will continue to pretend he didn’t say anything wrong.
At least news outlets on the right are picking it up. David Marcus at The Federalist wondered if leftists will rebuke him.
CNN Pundit Calls For The Destruction Of Israel. Will Left Rebuke Him?
This is not something that left-wing commentators or politicians can ignore. They cannot cast a blind eye to this, for fear of offending those who would wish the destruction of Israel. They either stand with Israel or they don’t.
For all the talk of Trump’s unseemly rhetoric, for all of his ugly comments and weird expressions, he has never made a statement so antithetical to the basic interests of the United States as Hill made in the presence of our friends and adversaries at the United Nations. It was shameful and deserves universal rebuke. We will see in the coming days if that rebuke is forthcoming.
Many are pointing out the phrase is often used by Hamas and other organizations to call for violence against Israelis. It’s a rallying cry heard in college campuses around the world where the Muslim Brotherhood’s various collegiate proxies try to suck in as many passionate followers as they can. The more passionate the students are, the more likely they’ll be susceptible to calls for violence.
Philip Klein at the Washington Examiner calls it an endorsement of violence.
CNN commentator calls for elimination of Israel, endorses violent Palestinian ‘resistance’
The phrase “from the river to the sea” has been a rallying cry for Hamas and other terrorist groups seeking the elimination of Israel, as a Palestinian state stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea would mean that Israel would be wiped off the map.
Hill’s remarks are the latest example of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic statements.
Last year, Hill tweeted that it was “offensive” for President Trump to call on Palestinians to “reject hatred and terrorism.” Hill also defended a terrorist who killed two Jewish students and praised anti-Semitic leader Louis Farrakhan.
Should we give Hill the benefit of the doubt and assume he is just ignorant? No. He is almost certainly lying. He called for annihilation of Israel and pretended it was something else.. But neither CNN nor any leftists will condemn him for it. He’s a hero now.
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