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WEATHERWATCH

NYC Palestinian restaurant under fire for 'from the river to the sea' menu
section: 'Openly genocidal'
by JACKSON WALKER | The National Desk
Thursday, Dec 28th 2023

FILE - Pro-Palestinian protesters take part in a rally to express solidarity
with Palestinians, in front of the parliament, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Nov.
5, 2023. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis, File)

NEW YORK CITY (TND) —

Ayat, a Palestinian restaurant in Brooklyn, has sparked outrage with a section
on its menu named “from the river to the sea.”


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The phrase is used in place of the restaurant’s seafood section, which offers
shrimp, salmon and other dishes. The American Jewish Committee (AJC) recognizes
the phrase as antisemitic due to its association with Palestinian control of
Israel.


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“’From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free’ is a rallying cry for
terrorist groups and their sympathizers, from the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to Hamas, which called for Israel’s destruction
in its original governing charter in 1988 and was responsible for the October 7,
2023 terror attack on Israeli civilians, murdering over 1,200 people in the
single deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” AJC says.

When members of the Ditmas Park Facebook page, which features residents living
nearby Ayat, discovered the offering, the group reportedly erupted in debate.
One user called the offering “openly genocidal” while another believed it was a
non-violent call for justice, according to The Daily Beast.

Ayat owner Abdul Elenani reportedly told the group he meant nothing by the item.

READ MORE | Jewish-owned Philadelphia restaurant targeted by antisemitic
protestors, Pa. governor says

“Our interpretation on it is just simply freedom and rights to the Palestinian
people between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea,” he said, according to
The Daily Beast. “We’re just against the Zionist mentality of, like, eliminate
or flatten Gaza now. Our neighbors are Jews, our friends are Jews, we work with
Jewish people all day every day. We do not hate Jewish people. It’s the
opposite. Judaism and Islam, they are the two most similar religions.”



One user told the online publication, however, she believes the restaurant was
intentionally trying to create a stir.


“The best analogy that I could think [of] is if a restaurant that had southern
food had the Confederate flag on their menu, and tried to spin it as 'Oh, this
is just southern pride.' And it's like, you know, Don't be coy,” she said.

Ayat has fired back against critics, calling it "upsetting" to see "from the
river to the sea" be misinterpreted.

READ MORE | Anti-Israel protestors vandalize dozens of Seattle-area businesses

"This line was said way before the creation of Hamas in the early 1950s late 40s
when the Palestinians were being kicked out of their lands," the restaurant
wrote on Instagram.

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Ayat did not immediately respond to a request for comment form The National Desk
(TND) Thursday.

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