Jish, ISRAEL — A native Arabic-speaking Israeli admonished Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s defense of “From The River To The Sea” chants, saying the slogan is a clear call to “wipe out” Jewish existence in the region.
“This slogan was created by Hamas and supporters,” said Shadi Khalloul, a Christian who lives near the Lebanon border and was a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces. “This means clearly to wipe out any Jewish existence in the land of Israel and create instead a Palestinian state free of Jews, free of Christians, free of atheists, free of homosexuals.”
Khalloul’s comments come days after Tlaib posted a video in support of pro-Palestinian uprising across the country that featured the chant. She has since defended the slogan — which literally calls for a “free” Palestinian state in the territory that is currently Israel — as “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.”
Khalloul lives in Jish, a mixed Christian-Muslim village in northern Israel. Khalloul is a part of the Christian Maronite Aramaic community that believes it descends from Christ’s earliest followers. While some members of Khalloul’s community pray and speak in Aramaic — the language Jesus spoke — they mostly speak Arabic.
Khalloul said this gives him a unique ability to understand the meaning behind the chants from pro-Palestinian protestors.
“They maybe can tell you stories and lies in the U.S. because you are Americans and English speakers, and you don’t understand the small nuances and the mentality,” Khalloul said. “But they cannot lie on me.”
“I live here with them in this region and I know what they think, and how they act, and I warn my Jewish friends: They are coming to you.”
The Democrat from Michigan is facing calls for her censure in the House, with at least one Democratic colleague voting with most Republicans against tabling the most recent resolution. Another Democrat voted present, signaling an increased willingness to condemn Tlaib for her call to destroy Israel.
On Tuesday afternoon, at least 60 House Democrats signed onto a resolution condemning the use of the chant.
Khalloul is affiliated with the Alma Center for Research and Education, a nonprofit that aims to educate English speakers on the geopolitics of the Middle East. He says there is a clear misunderstanding among people in the West about who would be welcome in a Palestinian state.
“Anything you can think of, including left-wing Jews, right-wing Jews, secular Jews, religious Jews — have no right to exist here in this land as a free people,” Khalloul said, characterizing the ideology of Hamas and its supporters. He said Tlaib has the same agenda as the terrorist group.
“Look, Rashida Tlaib is another Islamic Jihadi woman, [who] believes in the same agenda as Hamas,” Khalloul said. “With the same slogan.”