Congresswoman says protesters who shouted 'from the river to the sea' are misinformed

WEST PALM BEACH — More than 500 protesters gathered Sunday afternoon in West Palm Beach to pressure for a cease-fire in Gaza, condemn local officials for "contributing" to the suffering at the Gaza Strip and insist on an end to the killing of Palestinian civilians in the Israel-Hamas war.

But they punctuated their demands with a controversial phrase — "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" — that pro-Israel advocates and others say is antisemitic and calls for the elimination of the state of Israel. The chant, which reverberated repeatedly through the lawn at Okeechobee Boulevard and Rosemary Avenue, has been a point of contention nationwide.

Last week, U.S. House lawmakers, including four South Florida Democrats including U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, censured Palestinian-American U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, for posting videos associated with this slogan. Protesters at the Sunday demonstration pointed to the expression as a vow of solidarity with Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire between Israeli and Hamas in Gaza.

"We're here for all Palestinians from the river to the sea. We know every single human being is sacred and has immense value from Palestine, to Congo, to Sudan. We see you, we're here for you, and we'll never be free until you are free," Tara Mahmoud, who attended the protest representing Students for Justice in Palestine at Florida International University in Miami, said while speaking to the crowd.

But Monday, Frankel said protestors saying the chant are misinformed.

"I'm not sure if everybody who's making these chants are well-informed. I don't know, but I will tell you many are, and the chant of 'from the river to the sea' means wiping Israel off the face of this earth and killing its people," Frankel said.

Organizers also condemned Palm Beach County officials, saying their investment of more than $100 million in Israeli bonds is "contributing to this humanitarian catastrophe."

The reference was to county Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Joseph Abruzzo's announcement of a $25 million purchase on Oct. 10, days after the fighting began, and then a $135 million buy on Oct. 31.

“To make that investment with our greatest ally, in one of the safest investments we can make — as Palm Beach County’s treasurer and CFO, it’s a win,” Abruzzo said in statement last month.

More: Palm Beach County teacher put on leave after email to superintendent on Israel-Hamas war

But demonstrators at Sunday's rally, organized by groups including Students for Justice in Palestine, the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition, CAIR Florida and Jewish Voice for Peace of South Florida, said the "investments" are prolonging the suffering in Gaza.

The rally was held to protest the more than 11,000 deaths since Israel's military campaign against Hamas began after the group's storming of Israeli civilian settlements and a music festival that killed an initial, estimated 1,200 Israelis and took another 240 people hostage.

Emily Soto, a 28-year-old West Palm Beach resident, said she wants a cease-fire and an end to Israeli occupation. Soto, who held a "Long Live Palestine" sign, said she attended the event because she was "alarmed that my country is funding the genocide of the Palestinian people."

"I'm vehemently against this, and no way is it OK with me that my money is going to this. And it's my duty as an American citizen to use my freedom of speech to gain attention for people who don't have freedom, which is the people of Palestine," Soto said.

Erik Rose, who wore a Palestinian flag on his back, said he attended because he believes the conflict in the Middle East is "wrong" and that it's important to stand up against genocide.

"They (Israel) are just doing whatever they want. They're being reckless, killing innocent babies. You know what I'm saying: kids and families, trying to just wipe people off the face of the earth, and that ain't never been right," Rose said.

Deena Ibrahim, a 30-year-old Boynton Beach mother of two, said she's been protesting for Palestine since she was a kid and that she brought her children to the rally to teach them that "what's happening is not OK."

Ibrahim, who is Palestinian, said she believed the protests are important since it helps people understand the Palestinian struggle.

"The end goal is always going to be a free Palestine. Right now, Israel's indiscriminately bombing Gaza. And it's disproportionate," Ibrahim said. "Cease-fire today, end the siege tomorrow, end the occupation."

Lois Frankel: Chanting 'river to the sea' undermines call for peace

The uttering of the "river to the sea" phrase at Sunday's demonstration did not sit well with Frankel, the U.S. representative and former mayor of West Palm Beach. The congressional Democrat believes that, whether or not many who chant the slogan know it's meaning, in echoing it the protesters are undermining their own message of peace and coexistence.

She said 'from the river to the sea' means wiping Israel off the face of this earth and killing its people.

"That's what it means, and so if you ask me, does that undermine anybody who says they're for peace? Yes, of course it does."

Especially, Frankel added, since Hamas' stated objective is to "wipe Israel off the face of the earth and kill all the Jews." She added that innocent people caught in the middle of the conflict are "being used as shields by Hamas."

"Hamas wants to erase Israel from the face of the earth and kill all its people," said Frankel. "That is Hamas' goal. They have said it verbally, they have written it, that's what they're trying to do."

Frankel agreed it's important to distinguish that not all Palestinians seek Israel's destruction, and she has empathy for "innocent victims" in the conflict. But those chanting from "the river to the sea" are not doing so in search of peace.

"I absolutely can understand the compassion and sympathy for all the innocent victims of this war, whether they're in Israel or in Gaza," she said, but reiterated that those chanting that slogan should know what it means.

Protest follows a week in which Israel-Hamas war stirred Florida passions

Sunday's events in Palm Beach County followed a week in which the escalating, brutal Israel-Hamas war raged through Florida communities, from college campuses to a U.S. district court to a city hall to school classrooms.

Gov. Ron DeSantis' call to deactivate the national Students for Justice in Palestine organization drew a federal lawsuit against the governor and state university from the chapter at the University of Florida. The legal action came as pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupted a Florida State University Board of Trustees meeting and rallied on state grounds in front of the landmark original state Capitol building.

Two Democratic state representatives, Angie Nixon of Jacksonville and Anna Eskamani of Orlando, also attended the streetside event. "At this point, when it comes to the rise of both antisemitism and Islamophobia in the country and in the state, peace is the approach to help address it," Eskamani said.

" 'Cease-fire now' is the biggest and most clear message," said rally participant Ahmad Daraldik, a Palestinian who's part of the Florida Palestine Network, and who has previously filed allegations of an anti-Palestinian hostile environment at Florida State University.

"Beyond that, we need to end the occupation and end the U.S. aid … and make sure there is a free, truly liberated Palestine."

The conflict also impacted students at the University of Florida.

A graduate student at UF accused of damaging a Jewish fraternity sign was charged with two counts of misdemeanor vandalism. The Hillel chapter at the Gainesville-based university also canceled the Birthright Israel trip, a free 10-day guided trip to Israel for young Jewish adults once they turn 18, because of the violence in the Gaza Strip and beyond.

Exchange between two lawmakers reportedly resulted in death threats

Much of the friction across the state stemmed from expressions of support for Palestinian residents caught in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Nixon and a GOP colleague engaged in a flinty exchange that resulted in the Republican receiving death threats. The topic was Nixon's resolution calling for a cease-fire in the war between "Israel and occupied Palestine."

"We are at 10,000 dead Palestinians," Nixon said during the debate. "How many will be enough?"

State Rep. Michelle Salzman, R-Pensacola, replied: "All of them." Salzman subsequently said she received death threats.

Salzman later put out a statement on X and told the (Pensacola) News Journal that her comments were only referring to Hamas.

In Tallahassee, GOP lawmakers filed bills in the state Senate and House aiming to ban and terminate state scholarships or tuition aid to college students who promote foreign terrorist organizations.

“The heinous terrorist attack on Oct. 7 has pulled back the curtain and exposed the rampant antisemitism happening on the campuses of colleges and universities throughout this country," said state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, sponsor of the bill.

Palm Beach County teacher lands in hot water while Gainesville city officials speak up

The proponent of a new law targeting antisemitism called on the Palm Beach County School District to suspend a teacher over an email in which the educator called on school officials to "publicly recognize the Palestinian community" in its communications about the war.

"Parents can only effectively engage in conversations with their children about the importance of respect, empathy, and the harmful consequences of prejudice if they understand that the Palestinian people in Gaza are being violently and indiscriminately massacred," the teacher wrote.

GOP state Rep. Mike Caruso of Delray Beach took issue with the educator's statements, which were sent to district Superintendent Mike Burke. "What bothers me, as well as constituent parents, is whether or not her speech has spilled over into the classroom," he wrote. "The brainwashing of our 5- and 6-year-olds with hate of any kind is disgusting and unlawful."

Nonetheless, the mayor of Gainesville, with the backing of the City Commission, is writing a letter to the Biden Administration calling for humanitarian treatment, peace and a cease-fire in Gaza.

“It's about human life,” Mayor Harvey Ward said. “This is about peace, and I don't have a problem with sending a letter saying, ‘Please stop shooting each other.' "

Information provided by the USA Today Florida Network and Palm Beach Post reporter Katherine Kokal was used in this story.

Stephany Matat is a politics reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY-Florida network. Reach her at smatat@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hundreds attend pro-Palestine rally in West Palm