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Unspoken Message

November 17, 2023

Published in Sankei Shimbun
(Japan) on 9 November 2023
by Hiroo Watanabe (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Dorothy Phoenix. Edited by Laurence Bouvard.

On Nov. 4, a protest in support of Palestine was held in Freedom Plaza in the heart of Washington, D.C. The plaza overflowed with tens of thousands of participants, who also packed the surrounding roads.

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The words that the speakers repeated remained in my ears. The unspoken message is a reference to the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. It is a slogan that appeals for Palestine's liberation.

As the war between the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas — which effectively controls the Palestinian territory of Gaza — and Israel intensifies, protest actions all across the U.S. calling for an immediate cease-fire have been brisk. Some well-informed voices also say that participants are celebrating Hamas' violent acts and fanning the flames of hatred toward Jewish people.

During the demonstration, I carefully listened to and observed the participants' appeals. Women held up photos of children killed in the Gaza bombings, and speeches denounced U.S. President Joe Biden, who supports Israel, as a “murderer.” There were also a few posters that linked the Star of David, a Jewish symbol, with the Nazi Party. However, I did not encounter any rhetoric glorifying Hamas' acts of terror.

Jewish writers and artists have released statements contesting the notion that “any criticism of Israel is inherently antisemitic.” Some certainly do interpret “from the river to the sea” as a “denial of Israel's right to exist.” But there is not just one voice in the hearts of the protesters.

言外のメッセージ

４日、ワシントン中心部の「自由広場」でパレスチナ支援デモが開かれた。参加者数万人は広場をあふれ周辺道路を埋め尽くした。

「川から海まで、パレスチナは自由になれる」。登壇者が繰り返した言葉が耳に残った。言外に示されているのはヨルダン川から地中海にかけた土地だ。パレスチナの解放を訴えるスローガンだ。

パレスチナ自治区ガザを実効支配するイスラム原理主義組織ハマスとイスラエルの戦闘が激化する中、全米で即時停戦を求める抗議活動が活発だ。参加者がハマスの凶行を祝い、ユダヤ人への憎悪を煽（あお）っているとの識者の声も見聞きする。

デモの中で参加者のアピールに目をこらし耳を澄ました。爆撃で死んだガザの子供の写真を掲げる女性、イスラエルを支援するバイデン米大統領を「虐殺者」と糾弾する演説…。ユダヤ人を象徴する「ダビデの星」とナチスの党章を結んだポスターもわずかだがあった。だが、ハマスのテロを賛美する言葉に出合うことはなかった。

「イスラエルへのあらゆる批判は本質的に反ユダヤ主義とする言説」に異議を唱える書簡を発表したのはユダヤ系の作家や芸術家だった。「川から海へ」は「イスラエルの存在否定」との解釈も確かにある。だが、デモ参加者の胸にある声はひとつではないのだろう。（渡辺浩生）

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