Watermelons deemed an antisemitic symbol at pro-Israel mayoral summit
A leaflet shared at Gold Coast summit includes a bizarre list of 'antisemitic' items
Displaying a watermelon in solidarity with Palestinians has been flagged as an antisemitic visual symbol at a pro-Israel summit on the Gold Coast.
Watermelons were among a list of symbols in a document circulated at the controversial Australian Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism, which began on Wednesday.
Other items listed include the keffiyeh, a traditional Levantine Arab garment; referring to Israel as a “settler colonial” state; calling Gaza an “open-air prison”; and saying phrases like “intifada”, “resistance is justified” and “free Palestine”.
“All eyes on Rafah”, which was a popular Instagram template that trended globally in May 2024 to raise awareness of Israel’s assault on the city, was also deemed “antisemitic”.
The leaflet claimed the phrase carries “the libelous [sic] insinuation that the IDF’s operation against Hamas is instead a sustained effort to harm the Palestinians residing in Rafah”.
In April, Palestinian authorities estimated that since October 2023, Israeli forces had destroyed or severely damaged 90% of Rafah’s residential neighbourhoods, 85% of its sewage network, 22 of Rafah’s 24 water wells, 320 kilometres of its roads, eight schools and education centres, all 12 of the city’s hospitals, and more than 100 mosques.
The leaflet, titled ‘Antisemitic Symbols since October 7’, was given to representatives of more than 80 local councils attending the three-day summit and obtained by Deepcut. It claims to “examine both novel and historically repurposed symbols that have been co-opted and disseminated in the aftermath of October 7th to demonize [sic] the State of Israel and Jewish people”.
“Many, but not all, of the symbols have strict antisemitism connotations. However, all may serve as an early warning sign of incoming antisemitic activity,” the leaflet warns.
“Strict monitoring and decisive action, both at the law enforcement and policymaking levels, with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism serving as a guiding framework, are urgently needed to mitigate their pernicious social impact.”
Nasser Mashni, president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, said the pamphlet was evidence that the summit’s attendees were “being spoon-fed white supremacist and racist disinformation to carry back into their communities”.
“It is outrageous that local councillors are being treated to an all-expenses-paid propaganda junket, hosted by Zionist lobby groups and sponsored by Israeli weapons manufacturers,” Mashni told Deepcut.
“This report openly expresses and fosters anti-Palestinian racism. It conflates Palestinian symbols of Palestinian identity and culture like the keffiyeh and the watermelon, and even simple calls for freedom and justice, as ‘hatred of Jewish people’,” Mashni added.
“This is an Orwellian attempt to erase and criminalise Palestinian culture and resistance to decades of Israeli occupation and apartheid by redefining ordinary expressions of identity as something sinister.”
Max Kaiser, executive officer at the Jewish Council of Australia, said the pamphlet proved the summit was “an attempt to criminalise Palestinian identity and solidarity, and to shield Israel from accountability”.
“Attendees who are pretending this conference is anything but an anti-Palestinian hatefest should be ashamed of themselves,” Kaiser told Deepcut.
“This material is more than counter-productive to the real fight against antisemitism. It shows exactly why we called the CAM (Combat Antisemitism Movement) conference racist and genocidal from the start.”
Human Rights Watch, a United Nations expert, Israeli historians and politicians, including US Senator Bernie Sanders (who is also Jewish), are among those who have previously referred to Gaza as an “open-air prison”.
The leaflet, however, says such a comparison “fuels antisemitism by delegitimizing [sic] Israel’s security measures” and that it “incites hostility against Israel by falsely portraying it as a perpetrator of mass oppression”.
The leaflet also characterises the phrase ‘Israeli Occupation Forces’ – a political descriptor of the Israeli Defense Forces commonly used by pro-Palestinian activists – as “a hostile effort to shift the narrative and portray Israel's actions as inherently unjust and illegal, regardless of context”.
The leaflet’s final example of an antisemitic symbol is the keffiyeh, a traditional garment worn in Palestine and other parts of the Levant with a history stretching back thousands of years.
“Many Jews view the keffiyeh as an indicator of hostility, given its use by individuals and groups who have committed acts of terror against Jewish and Israeli targets,” the pamphlet states.
“While some may wear the keffiyeh purely as a cultural or fashion statement, its potent nationalist symbolism can lead to misunderstandings and offense, particularly in charged political environments.”
On Thursday, CAM reported that deputy prime minister Richard Marles, opposition leader Sussan Ley and former prime minister Julia Gillard had provided video statements to the summit. They add to a speakers list featuring human rights commissioner Lorraine Finlay, University of New South Wales chancellor David Gonski, Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal and Inner West Council mayor Darcy Byrne.
The report can be viewed in full below.
The Inner West Mayor is at this summit. Concerned about what proposals he could bring back to Council: will he try to stop the wearing of keffiyehs, and certain jewellery? I always wear either Palestinian flag or watermelon earrings to council meetings.
So Nazis assaulting people are fine because they are not wearing keffiyehs?