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How Did a Watermelon Slice Become the Symbol of Palestinian Solidarity?

October 24, 2023

Red, black, white, and green are the colors of a watermelon — but they are also the colors of the Palestinian flag. Whether seen as emojis on social media, painted as art, or held in hand during protests, the watermelon has long been an emblem of Palestinian resistance. After the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the Palestinian flag and its colors drew the ire of authorities in Israel, thus resulting in the prohibition of its display in Gaza and the West Bank. As a form of protest, Palestinians used the slices of watermelon — locally sourced and similarly colored — as a symbolic substitute. In 2007, Palestinian artist Khaled Hourani introduced his artwork ‘Watermelon’ as a contribution to the book Subjective Atlas of Palestine. This act served as a catalyst, inspiring numerous other artists — such as Sarah Hatahet, Sami Boukhari, Aya Mobaydeen, and Beesan Arafat — to craft their own artistic expressions utilizing the symbolic watermelon as a means of expressing solidarity with Palestine. “Art can sometimes be more political than politics itself,” Hourani told the Washington Post. 57 years later, in 2023, the watermelon has seen a resurgence on social…


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