BIJ1 activists project controversial pro-Palestinian slogan next to Dutch PM's office

Activists from the BIJ1 party projected the slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" onto the Mauritshuis in The Hague, the building that is located next to the Prime Minister's office. The party reported this on X. The slogan is deemed antisemitic by some because it is interpreted as denying Israel's right to exist.

The party, which holds one seat in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, said it aims with this action “to oppose the ever-increasing pressure on our freedom of expression to show solidarity with the Palestinians and their struggle against the colonization of the country.”

The slogan expressed the desire for a Palestinian state stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, areas that encompass both the Palestinian territories and the entire land area of Israel. It is controversial and is perceived by some as a call for the end of the state of Israel, while others see it primarily as a statement of support for the Palestinian cause.

The use of the slogan has been prohibited in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, due to its perceived antisemitic connotation. Several politicians, including VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz and GroenLinks-PvdA party leader Frans Timmermans, are against its use.

Parties like BIJ1 and DENK, on the contrary, argue the slogan advocates for a single state that includes space for Jewish residents. "In reality, the slogan is a call for equal rights for Palestinians and an end to the occupation by Israel,” BIJ said on Wednesday.

The projection was a "totally disgusting action," according to Naomi Mestrum, director of the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI), AD reported. "I don't understand what they aim to achieve with this and why they seek further polarization. I see no effort here to even try to prevent escalating tensions in our country. It's unnecessary and particularly deceitful. Essentially calling for the disappearance of Israel is terrible," she added.

The Central Jewish Consultation (CJO) announced in a statement that it is considering legal action against the activisits. The organization "is deeply concerned that a political party in the Netherlands is trying to poison the debate in this manner," pointing out that the slogan "is widely recognized as a call for genocide against Israel's more than 7 million Jewish residents." The CJO also called on politicians to "speak out in the strongest terms" against BIJ1's action.

On X, PVV MP Martin Boosm referred to it as "a call for genocide by a Dutch political party elected to the Tweede Kamer."

D66 MP Alexander Hammelburg stated on X that "a slogan that for many is equivalent to a call for the destruction of Israel and its Jewish citizens is threatening and unnecessary in advocating for peace and a two-state solution."

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema previously said the slogan was "unacceptable" and asked the Public Prosecution Service (OM) to investigate whether its use is punishable. This summer, the Amsterdam District Court ruled that its use was not punishable in a case involving a demonstrator who chanted the slogan in 2021.