Jakarta, IO – Recently, pictures and emojis of sliced watermelon have flooded the social media as a symbol of support for Palestine. This step was part of inventive efforts by netizens to provide support when a number of social media platforms were aggressively blocking content containing support for Palestine, per Detikcom, Friday (3/11).
This prompted netizens, including public figures, celebrities and influencers, to express their support in a more discreet manner without explicitly mentioning Palestine.
The choice of watermelon as a symbol of support for Palestine also has a number of meanings. One of them is the color of the watermelon slice, namely red, green, white and black, is the same as the colors of the Palestinian flag. Apart from that, watermelon is also one of the fruits widely grown in Palestine.
At the same time, the Palestinian people also use watermelon as a cultural symbol and a symbol of popular resistance. The image of a watermelon is also represented as a national identity by Palestinians.
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According to Time, the use of watermelon as a symbol of Palestine is nothing new. This first appeared after the war that occurred in 1967. At that time, Israel controlled the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and annexed East Jerusalem.
The Israeli government at that time made it a crime to display the Palestinian flag in public in Gaza and the West Bank. The Israeli government also prohibits the use of the Palestinian flag in all territories it controls. To circumvent the ban, Palestinians then started using sliced watermelon due to its similarity in color with the Palestinian flag. (un)