From the river to the sea

“From the river to the sea”  is a political slogan referring to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. This region, historically called Palestine, was once under British rule (Mandatory Palestine) and today includes Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The phrase has been used by both Palestinians and Israelis to call for a single state covering the entire area.

## Historical origins

The phrase first appeared in the literature of Palestinian groups (especially the Palestine Liberation Organization and later Hamas) in the 1960s–70s. The "river" refers to the Jordan River and the "sea" refers to the Mediterranean Sea. In this sense, it refers to the entire historical territory of Palestine (present-day Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza). For many Palestinian groups, the slogan expressed the ideal of the complete retake of Palestine and the end of the existence of the state of Israel.

### Use internationally

On 27 September 2008, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared that all of Palestine, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, belongs to Arabs and Palestinians. He said no one has the right to surrender even a single part of the land, as every piece of it is sacred and must be returned to its rightful owners.
In 2023, former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi used a similar phrase, saying that the only solution to the conflict is a Palestinian state covering the entire area from the river to the sea—meaning all of Israel and the Palestinian territories.
On 30 October 2023, British MP Andy McDonald was suspended from the Labour Party after telling a pro-Palestine rally: “We won’t rest until we have justice, until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea can live in peaceful liberty.” The party called his remark “deeply offensive.” McDonald later clarified that his words were meant only as a call to end violence in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, and for all people in the region to live freely and safely.
On 1 November 2023, the English Football Association banned players from using the phrase, explaining that it is “considered offensive to many” and said it would seek police advice on handling cases where players used it. A few days later, on 5 November, the Metropolitan Police ended its work with an adviser who had chanted the slogan at a protest, saying it appeared “antisemitic and contrary to our values.”
On 30 November 2018, CNN dismissed American academic Marc Lamont Hill as a political commentator after he ended a speech at the UN’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People by calling for “a free Palestine, from the river to the sea.” The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said the phrase was a call for Israel’s destruction. Hill later apologized but argued on Twitter that the slogan has been used in different contexts, including by Israel’s Likud Party and the Israeli right, and does not necessarily mean eliminating Israel.
On 7 November 2023, U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib was censured by the House of Representatives partly for using the phrase “from the river to the sea.” Tlaib defended it as “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.” Before the vote, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the slogan as being “widely understood as calling for the complete destruction of Israel.”  The following day, 8 November, the White House also condemned Tlaib’s use of the phrase. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it is “divisive” and “hurtful,” noting that many consider it antisemitic, and added that the White House “categorically rejects applying the term to the [2023 Israel–Hamas] conflict.”

### Use on social media

The phrase has also circulated widely on social media platforms, including TikTok.
On 4 September 2024, Meta’s Oversight Board ruled that the phrase could be used on the company’s platforms, stating that, by itself, it does not violate policies on hate speech, incitement to violence, or dangerous organizations.

### Civic usage

The phrase has been widely used in pro-Palestinian protest movements, often chanted at demonstrations along with the slogan “Palestine will be free.” Many civic leaders, activists, and progressive publications interpret it as support for a one-state solution: a single secular state across all of historic Palestine with equal rights for people of all religions. This contrasts with the two-state solution, which envisions separate Israeli and Palestinian states. In this context, the phrase has been described as expressing Palestinians’ right “to live freely in the land from the river to the sea.”

## Legal status

This phrase does not express a genocidal or anti-Semitic goal, but rather its historical use in political strategies for the liberation of Palestine. However, in many countries, including the UK, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada, the US, etc., the use of this phrase is prohibited and is a crime.

## Related pages

- Anti-Zionism
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Greater Israel