from the river to the sea

English

Etymology

Calque of Arabic مِنَ ٱلنَّهْرِ إِلَى ٱلْبَحْرِ (mina n-nahri ʔilā l-baḥri, “from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea”), popularised among Palestinians by the Palestine Liberation Organization, from Hebrew בין הים לירדן (“between the [Mediterranean] sea and the Jordan [river]”); as seen in the 1977 platform of the far-right Zionist Likud party; both referring to the geography of Palestine.

Phrase

from the river to the sea

1. (politics) A slogan expressing support for Palestinian self-determination.

   Synonym: from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free

   • 2023 November 5, Ilan Pappe, “Why Israel wants to erase context and history in the war on Gaza”, in Al-Jazeera‎^[1], archived from the original on 5 November 2023:

     The way out [of this cycle of violence] remains the same: a change of regime in Israel that brings equal rights for everyone from the river to the sea[.]

Usage notes

• This term is generally spoken with the phrase "Palestine will be free" either preceding or succeeding it, although uses on its own are attested.
• Pro-Israel groups criticize the term, saying it implies that the state of Israel should not exist, and thus denies the Jewish people's right to self-determination. Pro-Palestine groups say it is an expression of support for Palestine's right to self-determination and freedom from Israeli rule, and is unrelated to Jews as a whole.

Translations

Translations

• French: du fleuve à la mer (fr), de la rivière à la mer (fr)