Red, black, white and green: How the watermelon became a symbol of Palestinian resistance and hope

With social media platforms censoring posts, users have begun using the watermelon emoji to show solidarity.

Nov 11, 2023 - 20:30

Red, black, white and green: How the watermelon became a symbol of Palestinian resistance and hope

The watermelon is a massive part of Palestinian culture, featuring in many dishes and crossing into the art world where it has become a symbol of resistance. The red, green, white and black coloured fruit held in hand, depicted in art or posted as an emoji has also become a way for Palestinians and their supporters to protest against Israel.

We’ve been seeing the fruit featuring in social media posts across the internet ever since the the Gaza invasion began 20 days ago. As of today 6,546 Palestinians have been killed, including 2,704 children, and over 17,000 people have been wounded so far in ongoing Israeli retaliatory strikes.

Decades old symbol of resilience

The use of the watermelon as a Palestinian symbol is not new. It first emerged in 1967, when Israel seized control of the West Bank and Gaza and annexed East Jerusalem. Following this, the Israeli government used a military order to make public displays of the Palestinian flag a criminal offence in Gaza and the West Bank.

In order to bypass the prohibition, Palestinians started using watermelons since, when sliced open, the fruit displays the patriotic hues of the Palestinian flag — the red watermelon flesh, black seeds, white rind, and green outer skin.

Israel lifted the ban on the...