Watermelon is a cherished fruit in Palestine. It is also a symbol of resistance to Israeli occupation and repressions. After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel banned the Palestinian flag, as well as its colors of red, green, black and white. And in the 1980s, Israel shut down art galleries and arrested artists for displaying anything that represented Palestinian freedom. According to the popular story Israeli authorities warned artists that "Even if you do a watermelon, it will be confiscated." Hence even holding a slice of fresh watermelon outside became a statement of protest.
Watermelon has also become a reminder of "Pinkwashing," the attempt to use LGBTQ rights to cover up the racism of Israel's apartheid regime. Pinkwashing tries to sell Israel's occupation as somehow a paradise for gay rights, despite the fact that 5 million Palestinians live under a brutal yoke of oppression.
Now that Israel's harsh occupation has become a genocide, it is more important than ever that we as US citizens do whatever we can to save millions of Palestinians. Tens of thousands of children have been slaughtered. Many more are without food, water and shelter, a killing field that is funded and abetted by the United States government.
Is this what our country has become? Our politicians have all been paid off by the billionaires in the Israeli Lobby. Biden has gotten more money from the Israel Lobby than any other politician in Washington. Our own Pat Ryan is swimming in pro-Israel funds. Check out the massive amounts our two Senators rake in from Israel (opensecrets.org).
Our country could stop this slaughter if it wanted to. Instead we see the pro-Palestinian college encampments being brutalized by the police, ever eager to serve the ruling class. But there is resistance in the air. Our students are telling the nation to end its genocide of the Palestinian people. The rest of the world is demanding that the two pariah states of Israel and the United States be ostracized for their brutal crimes against humanity. Isn't it time we all took some responsibility for what our country is doing in our name?
