Advocating for a Free Palestine is About Peace, Not Harm

It’s a common misconception that calling for a free Palestine means calling for harm to Israel or its citizens. I want to clear this up because this kind of misunderstanding leads to unnecessary hostility. So, let's get right into it.

When we say we want a free Palestine, we’re not talking about violence or driving anyone out. It’s a completely peaceful ideology rooted in the belief that every individual deserves freedom, dignity, and the right to live in their homeland without oppression. To advocate for a free Palestine is to stand against occupation and the systems that deny freedom—it’s not anti-anyone, it’s pro-equality and human rights.

A lot of the confusion also comes from phrases like “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” This line is often misinterpreted as a call to eliminate Israel or harm Jewish people. But in reality, it represents the hope that all Palestinians—whether in Gaza, the West Bank, or those displaced around the world—will one day be able to live freely across the entire area, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. It’s not about eliminating people; it’s about eliminating borders that restrict rights and create systemic inequality. It’s about everyone having the freedom to live in peace, side by side, without walls, checkpoints, or blockades.

When we peel back all the rhetoric, what we’re talking about is incredibly simple: freedom. That means no blockades, no apartheid systems, and no oppression.

If you’re still wondering, here’s the bottom line: supporting Palestinian freedom does not mean wishing harm on Israelis, or anyone else. It means wanting a future where everyone’s rights are respected, where we can all coexist without fear, and where the idea of freedom isn’t reserved for a select group of people.

This isn’t about picking sides—it’s about standing for a principle that should be universal: no one is free until everyone is free.