Watermelon becomes symbol of Palestinian existence, resistance

AMMAN — Amid the escalating situation in Palestine and the continuous censorship of pro-Palestine content, social media users share how they have been influenced by Palestinians who carry watermelons as a symbol of Palestinian existence and resistance.

With the watermelon’s colours hinting the Palestinian flag, the watermelon has become a symbol of resistance and a widely used expression of pride and freedom. 

Recently, as Israeli aggression has escalated, many social media users and influencers around the world have changed their profile pictures to watermelon images, in solidarity with Palestine, Rama Edris, a young Palestinian-Jordanian social media user told The Jordan Times on Wednesday. 

“It is just a genius way of expression and resistance,” Edris said, adding that “Palestine-related watermelon art now appears in paintings and graphic designs all over social media platforms.” 

Palestine is known for its succulent watermelons, “so what better fruit could be used to represent it”, said Noor Manaseer, a 23-year-old Jordanian who was constantly sharing all Palestine-related content during the recent period. 

Manaseer added that the new generation is “getting creative in delivering the Palestinian cause and message to the world”.    

Beesan Arafat, a Palestinian-Jordanian visual artist, shared a watermelon post on her Instagram with a caption that read: “Do you know that in 1967, raising a Palestinian flag in Gaza and the West Bank was considered a crime?”

 “To subvert the ban on the national colours, Palestinians used to carry sliced watermelons through the region as a sign of protest,” Arafat added.

Abu-Dhabi based Jordanian illustrator and art curator Sarah Hatahet also incorporated Palestine-related watermelon themes into her artworks to highlight the struggle of Palestinian people for their homeland.