Single MP majority asks Cabinet to criminalize "From the River to the Sea" statement

A slim majority of Parliamentarians voted on Tuesday in favor of a motion calling for the Cabinet to criminalize the statement, “From the River to the Sea.” The measure passed 74-73 during a roll call vote in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch Parliament.

The statement is an abbreviated version of, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.” The slogan is perceived by some as a call for peace and equality for Palestinians and Israelis in a single state, regardless of religion. It is also considered by others as a rallying cry for the end of the State of Israel, which lies between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

The controversial phrase “entails a call for violence against all Jews worldwide,” noted the motion, which was submitted by PVV MP Maikel Boon. He argued it was necessary because “there is a disturbing increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the Netherlands.”

The motion was submitted on April 25, and Boon claimed the slogan was taken directly from the charter of Hamas. The Palestinian political and military group is designated a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States.

By approving the motion, the Tweede Kamer called on the Cabinet “to regard the expression ‘From the River to the Sea’ as a call for violence.” As such, it could lead to prosecution under laws against inciting violence, and hate speech targeting specific population groups.

However, it could be challenging to successfully prosecute such a case. One person attempted to press charges when a demonstrator used the statement during a protest on Dam Square in Amsterdam on May 22, 2021. The complainant used a procedure to have the court review the decision not to prosecute the case, and the Amsterdam Court of Appeal ruled "From the River to the Sea" was not punishable in and of itself.

“The Court - together with the Public Prosecution Service - has come to the conclusion that the defendant’s statements, as shown in the police file, do not constitute a criminal offence. There is no threat, incitement or criminal incitement to hatred,” the court ruled.