Cenk Uygur Urges Pro-Palestine Movement to Drop ‘From the River to the Sea’ Chant: ‘Incredibly Hurtful to Our Jewish Brothers and Sisters’
Young Turks host and Democratic Presidential candidate Cenk Uygur called for his fellow pro-Palestinian activists to abandon the “from the river to the sea” mantra, deeming it “counterproductive” to the movement amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Throughout the conflict, Uygur has been a vocal critic of the Israeli government, condemning their military operations in Gaza and the number of Palestinian civilians who’ve been killed during the fight against Hamas. On Monday, Uygur got on X (formerly Twitter) to defend his criticisms of the Israeli government, and he accused U.S. politicians of hyperventilating about anti-Semitism while ignoring the “genocide in Gaza.”
Supporters of Israel’s right-wing government have destroyed any meaning in that word. They use it against anyone who disagrees with them or even anyone who is against war crimes. Misusing charges of discrimination for your political purposes is disgusting and counterproductive.
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) December 11, 2023
Are there going to be any congressional hearings to ask if anyone supporting the genocide of Palestinians right now are going to be kicked off campus? Are any university presidents going to be fired over that? Or is the actual genocide going on right now not that big a deal?
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) December 11, 2023
So, is funding a genocide less of a problem than chanting about one?
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) December 11, 2023
We can all see the genocide in Gaza with our own eyes. Yet, almost every one of the politicians in Washington is pretending that it isn’t happening. And that we should send $14 billion to help Israel commit obvious war crimes because they are being oppressed by the Palestinians.
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) December 12, 2023
During this social media spree, Uygur touched on the slogan “From the river to the sea,” which has become a source of contention in America throughout the war. The Anti-Defamation League claims the phrase is an anti-Semitic call for Israel’s destruction, while pro-Palestinian activists claim it to be non-violent.
Uygur broached the subject by asking if, “Based on our new standards, is any student calling for Greater Israel going to be kicked out of college? That is the equivalent of the “river to the sea” chant. So, is calling for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians completely acceptable? When are the congressional hearings?”
Based on our new standards, is any student calling for Greater Israel going to be kicked out of college? That is the equivalent of the “river to the sea” chant. So, is calling for the ethinc cleansing of Palestinians completely acceptable? When are the congressional hearings?
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) December 11, 2023
Shortly thereafter, Uygur urged his fellow pro-Palestinian advocates to abandon the phrase, arguing it doesn’t help the movement and is “incredibly hurtful to our Jewish brothers and sisters.”
“Can everyone please stop the dumb “from the river to the sea” chant?” He asked. “Do not chant something that majority thinks is call for genocide. Not complicated.”
Can everyone please stop the dumb “from the river to the sea” chant? It is incredibly hurtful to our Jewish brothers and sisters. It’s also incredibly counterproductive to protecting Palestinians. Do not chant something that majority thinks is call for genocide. Not complicated.
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) December 11, 2023
The outspoken progressive commentator launched a presidential campaign months ago to run against Joe Biden for the Democratic Party nomination. His bid is often considered a long-shot effort, but not the least because the Constitution requires the president to be a natural-born U.S. citizen. Uygur was born in Turkey before migrating to America as a child.
