--- description: When Palestinian flags are banned or censored, activists and allies use the watermelon as a symbol of solidarity. title: How the Watermelon Became a Symbol of Palestinian Solidarity image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8c6a40828243a47/698a417309208fc03e41ad5b/watermelon-palestinian.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Middle East](/tag/middle-east/) ## Middle East Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How the Watermelon Became a Symbol of Palestinian Solidarity  by [Armani Syed](/author/armani-syed/)  ## Armani Syed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Syed was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau. Oct 20, 2023 8:34 PM CUT  Demonstrators holding signs in the colors of the Palestinian flag with a watermelon or the word “freedom” on them, on July 23, 2023, in Jerusalem, Israel. The protesters are holding these signs because the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, has forbidden the waving of Palestinian flags. Demonstrators holding signs in the colors of the Palestinian flag with a watermelon or the word “freedom” on them, on July 23, 2023, in Jerusalem, Israel. The protesters are holding these signs because the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, has forbidden the waving of Palestinian flags.Yahel Gazit—Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images  by [Armani Syed](/author/armani-syed/)  ## Armani Syed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Syed was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau. Oct 20, 2023 8:34 PM CUT The mighty watermelon—whether held in hand, depicted in art, or posted online as an emoji—is a powerful symbol for Palestinians. The fruit has once again cropped up on countless social media posts, in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war begun by a surprise Hamas attack that left[ 1,400 people dead](https://time.com/6324741/israel-hostages/ "undefined") in Israel. At least[ 3,785people have died](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-health-ministry-3785-palestinians-killed-israeli-strikes-since-oct7-2023-10-19/#:~:text=GAZA%2C%20Oct%2019%20%28Reuters%29,Qudra%20told%20a%20press%20conference. "undefined") in Gaza since Israel began launching airstrikes ahead of an expected ground offensive. But how did this refreshing fruit emerge as a stealthy symbol for Palestinian solidarity? Here's what you need to know. ### More From TIME ## **A history of the Palestinian watermelon** The use of the watermelon as a Palestinian symbol is not new. It first emerged after the [Six-Day War](https://time.com/4798055/1967-six-day-war/ "undefined") in 1967, when Israel seized control of the West Bank and Gaza, and annexed East Jerusalem. At the time, the Israeli government made public displays of the Palestinian flag a criminal offense in [Gaza and the West Bank](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/israelopt-new-restrictions-palestinian-flags-attempt-legitimise-racism "undefined"). To circumvent the ban, Palestinians began using the watermelon because, when cut open, the fruit bears the national colors of the Palestinian flag—red, black, white, and green. The Israeli government didn't just crack down on the flag. Artist Sliman Mansour [told ](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/how-the-watermelon-became-a-symbol-of-palestinian-resistance-1.1230806 "undefined")_The National_ in 2021 that Israeli officials in 1980 shut down an exhibition at 79 Gallery in Ramallah featuring his work and others, including Nabil Anani and Issam Badrl. “They told us that painting the Palestinian flag was forbidden, but also the colors were forbidden. So Issam said, ‘What if I were to make a flower of red, green, black and white?’, to which the officer replied angrily, ‘It will be confiscated. Even if you paint a watermelon, it will be confiscated,’” Mansour told the outlet. Israel lifted the ban on the Palestinian flag in 1993, as part of the [Oslo Accords](https://time.com/5393714/oslo-25-human-rights-failure/ "undefined"), which entailed mutual recognition by Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization and were the first formal agreements to try to resolve the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The flag was accepted as representing the Palestinian Authority, which would administer Gaza and the West Bank. **Read More**: [_A Photographer Captures Death, Destruction, and Grief in Gaza_ ](https://time.com/6324754/gaza-photos-grief-death-destruction/ "undefined") In the wake of the accords, the _New York Times_ nodded to the role of watermelon as [a stand-in symbol](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/16/world/ramallah-journal-a-palestinian-version-of-the-judgment-of-solomon.html "undefined") during the flag ban. “In the Gaza Strip, where young men were once arrested for carrying sliced watermelons—thus displaying the red, black and green Palestinian colors—soldiers stand by, blasé, as processions march by waving the once-banned flag,” wrote _Times_ journalist John Kifner. In 2007, just after the Second Intifada, artist Khaled Hourani created [_The Story of the Watermelon_](https://beursschouwburg.be/en/events/khaled-hourani-the-story-of-the-watermelon/ "undefined") for a book entitled _Subjective Atlas of Palestine_. In 2013, he isolated one print and named it _The Colours of the Palestinian Flag_, which has since been seen by people across the globe. The use of the watermelon as a symbol resurged in 2021, following an Israeli court ruling that Palestinian families based in the [Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood](https://time.com/6047764/israeli-palestinian-violence/ "undefined") in East Jerusalem would be evicted from their homes to make way for settlers. ## The watermelon symbol today In January, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir gave police the power to confiscate Palestinian flags. This was later followed by a [June vote](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-06-01/ty-article/.premium/mks-back-bill-to-ban-palestinian-flag-at-state-funded-institutions/00000181-2074-de27-a1bd-2b7eb7310000 "undefined") on a bill to ban people from displaying the flag at state-funded institutions, including universities. (The bill passed preliminary approval but the government later [collapsed](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/20/world/middleeast/israel-election-government-collapse.html "undefined").) In June, Zazim, an Arab-Israeli community organization, launched a campaign to protest against the ensuing arrests and confiscation of flags. Images of watermelons were plastered on to 16 taxis operating in Tel Aviv, with the accompanying textreading, “This is not a Palestinian flag.”  Protestors with watermelon illustrations, symbolizing the Palestinian flag, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Aug. 12, 2023. Mustafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images “Our message to the government is clear: we will always find a way to circumvent any absurd ban and we will not stop fighting for freedom of expression and democracy,” said Zazim director [Raluca Ganea](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230622-protesters-displayed-images-of-watermelons-in-tel-aviv-to-challenge-israels-criminalisation-of-the-palestinian-flag/ "undefined"). Amal Saad, a Palestinian from Haifa who worked on the Zazim campaign, [told Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/31/the-fruits-of-palestine-and-their-symbolism#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIf%20you%20want%20to%20stop,her%20planning%20under%20the%20radar. "undefined") they had a clear message: “If you want to stop us, we’ll find another way to express ourselves.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6326312/watermelon-palestinian-symbol-solidarity/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6326312/watermelon-palestinian-symbol-solidarity/"},"headline":"How the Watermelon Became a Symbol of Palestinian Solidarity","datePublished":"2023-10-20T20:34:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:52:55.878Z","description":"When Palestinian flags are banned or censored, activists and allies use the watermelon as a symbol of resistance.","url":"https://time.com/6326312/watermelon-palestinian-symbol-solidarity/","keywords":["Middle East","Gaza and the West Bank","Explainer","Israel-Hamas War"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8c6a40828243a47/698a417309208fc03e41ad5b/watermelon-palestinian.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Armani Syed","jobTitle":"Syed was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau.","url":"https://time.com/author/armani-syed/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8c6a40828243a47/698a417309208fc03e41ad5b/watermelon-palestinian.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Israel-Judicial-Overhaul","caption":"Israel-Judicial-Overhaul","creditText":"Yahel Gazit—Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/middle-east/","name":"Middle East"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6326312/watermelon-palestinian-symbol-solidarity/","name":"How the Watermelon Became a Symbol of Palestinian Solidarity"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Medical Supplies and Other Humanitarian and Sanitation Qquipment Delivered to Hospitals Around Gaza","description":"In Gaza, surgeons are operating by flashlights, rationing anesthetics, and running out of precious fuel needed to keep patients alive. 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