Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has hailed the Berlin court’s decision to ban the use of the controversial pro-Palestinian slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as the use of a “terrorist symbol.”
“I welcome the decision of the Berlin District Court to ban the speech … The new anti-Semitism based on the denial of the Jewish state’s right to exist must be removed!” Saar wrote on X Saturday.
A court in the German capital found a protester guilty for the first time on Friday of using the symbol of a terrorist organization by using the name.
The presiding judge said the slogan was a symbol of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which the European Union classifies as a terrorist organization.
The court issued a fine of €1,300 ($1,390) to the 42-year-old defendant.
The defense attorney said they will appeal the decision.
The slogan says that there must be a free Palestine that stretches from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which is the area currently used by Israel.
The German police wanted to stop the use of this word, which Israel described as anti-Semitic, saying it wants the end of the state of Israel.
Criminal courts throughout Germany have followed different interpretations of the motto. There has been no Supreme Court decision on this phrase so far.
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