Palestinian Watermelon Meaning: Symbolism and Cultural Significance Explained

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Watermelon is a symbol of Palestine because it represents the flag colors of the nation. Although the Palestinian watermelon is not a new campaign meant to spread awareness about Palestine, it has widely become even more popular by the usage of watermelon emoji. 

Palestinian watermelon is by far the most used emblem to symbolize the nation. With its popularity, many have also been curious about the origin of its ever so fascinating story. 

First and foremost, watermelons are grown in the wide mainland of Palestine. Therefore, the Palestinian watermelon is not only about a campaign, but also acts as a symbol of resilience. Which means that Palestinians will firmly stand on their land and let the seeds grow into watermelons. 

How did the watermelon become a symbol for the Palestinian cause?

The first Palestinian watermelon campaign traced as far back as the post Six-Day War in 1967 where Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza. During this period, the Israeli government stated that the raising of Palestinian flag in any public area is considered a criminal offense. 

The Palestinian, as started by Sliman Mansour, then tried to incorporate watermelon in their protest since the fruit, when cracked open, symbolizes the colors of the Palestinian flag. Israel has been keeping the ban since, and not only did they criminalize Palestinian flag, they were also confiscating other Palestinian watermelon political artworks. 

In 1993, the Oslo Accords was signed by Yasser Arafat (the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization also known as PLO) and Yitzhak Rabin (the Prime Minister of Israel) in the pursuit of reconciliation between Palestine and Israel. The President of the United States, Bill Clinton, was present as the witness of this accord. One of the most notable points from the agreement is to lift the ban on using the Palestinian flag. However, it only took Israel 3 years to break the accord.

The Meaning of the Palestinian Watermelon in Humanitarian Solidarity

Since Hamas' attack on October 7th, 2023, Israel has been regularly spreading political propaganda against Palestinians in order to obtain international sympathy.

In social media, Israel is banning the use of any Palestinians attributes. Many accounts that are publicly discussing about the hashtag #freepalestine, Palestine, and Gaza will be taken down and removed from the algorithm.

This is where the people in social media began to use Palestinian watermelon imagery as a mean for showing humanitarian solidarity. Instagram, a professional social media platform, cannot ban the watermelon emoji because it is a fruit.

Today, people are more educated about the issue, resulting in the usage of Palestinian watermelon to spread even more rapidly. People are having watermelon emoji across their social media accounts to show support for Palestine.

VIDYA AMALIA RIMAYANTI

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