Shadow Banned And Semangka Reasons Become A Symbol Of Palestinian Solidarity

A Palestinian flag-colored watermelon taxi protested the police crackdown banning the banner from spreading in Tel Aviv on June 21, 2023. (Zazim/Community Action)

JAKARTA In the midst of heavy support for Palestine, pictures and emojis of watermelons have been widely used on social media in recent weeks.

Apparently netizens used emojis and pictures of watermelons on social media to avoid directives against the Palestinian flag.

Support for Palestine has flowed rapidly since the Israeli-Hamas conflict broke out again on October 7, 2023. Initially, the virtual world voiced support for Palestine by uploading the country's flag.

However, fences such as Free Palestine or Stand with Palestine receive fewer engagements than other uploads. Content creators believe messages containing support for the Palestinian people are affected by shadow banned by a number of social media platforms.

Shadow banned is when social media platforms actively censor or reduce the reach of certain content or uploads. Platforms that blockade Palestinian support are X, Instagram, and Facebook.

To outsmart it, content creators replace it with emojis or watermelons as a symbol of support for Palestine.

Why is watermelon an option to express support to Palestine?

Citing various sources, the selection of watermelons as a form of support for Palestine is not without reason. Semanggu is symbolized as a Palestinian culture and entity. The fruit, which is mostly red meat, grows at dawn in the Jenin region to Gaza.

To date, countless series of artists, celebrities, and even world leaders have voiced their support by installing watermelon photos on their respective social media.

However, the selection of watermelons in support of Palestine has been going on for a long time.

Citing the appetite, during the 1967 Six Day War between Israel and neighboring countries including Egypt, Syria and Jordan, the Israeli government banned the raising of Palestinian flags in border areas. This was done by Israel to limit Palestinian nationalism and Arab countries.

The ban was lifted in 1993, when the Oslo Agreement relaxed restrictions on Palestinians in Israel.

However, during the prohibition period, Palestinians used watermelons as a symbol of protest against Israel. Apart from being a cultural entity, the watermelon was also chosen because when it was sheared, the fruit displayed a patriotic color of the Palestinian flag. Red watermelon meat, black seeds, white skin, and green outer skin.

Semangka as a symbol of protest is increasingly widespread and is increasingly recognized globally through several works by artists entering the 2000s era.

In 2007, shortly after Intifada Second, artist Khaled Hourani created the story of Watermelon for a book called Subjective Atlas of Palestine.

Then in 2013, he isolated a print and named it The Colors of the Palestinian Flag, which was seen by people around the world.

The Hourani move eventually inspired other local artists to make watermelons a symbol of solidarity. In an interview with the Washington Post, Hourani gave an interesting response to the event, "Article can sometimes be more political than political moves themselves,".

Social media is the battleground today, with many people trying to fight for Palestine. When support content is often censored, including the Palestinian flag, pictures of watermelon slices are increasingly used by the pro-Palestinian community.

According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) during the period 7 October to 1 November 2023, more than 8,900 Palestinians died as a result of the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group.

From Palestine, the most victims were in the Gaza Strip, which reached 8,805 people plus 22,240 injured. In West Tebi, 128 people died and 2,274 others were injured.

In the same period, the number of casualties from the Israeli side was 1,416 people and 5,413 people were injured. In addition to causing casualties and injuries, the Israeli side has also arrested more than a thousand Palestinians, citing Antara.

In the midst of the increasingly heated conflict, support for Palestine continues to flow. Actions of solidarity for Palestine occur in a number of countries.

In England, for example, tens of thousands of people held a demonstration in London in mid-October to show solidarity with Palestine. Support groups also occur in various cities in Italy, in France, the United States, Spain and others.

Indonesia, as a country with the largest Muslim population in the world and known to have a very close relationship with Palestine, does not want to be left behind.

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) together with other religious assemblies held an action entitled Aksi Akbar Bela Palestina' at the National Monument (Monas), Central Jakarta, Sunday (5/11/2023) morning.

The attitude of the Indonesian government towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has never changed. The Indonesian government firmly stands next to Palestine.

"On behalf of the Indonesian government, we would like to reaffirm Indonesia's support for the struggle of the Palestinian people," said Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi at the Indonesian People's Alliance's Great Actions for Defending Palestine last weekend.

In addition to moral support, the Indonesian government has also released humanitarian assistance for Palestine which was released directly by President Joko Widodo, Saturday (4/11), at the Kusuma Prime Judge Air Base.

The delivery of aid for the first phase weighed 51.5 tons of aid, consisting of foodstuffs, medical equipment, blankets, tents and other logistics items that were tailored to the needs of Gaza.