CNN has fired political commentator Marc Lamont Hill after he used the phrase “a free Palestine from the river to the sea” – an expression associated with Palestinian extremists – during a speech at the UN. Hill made the remark at an event held for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
“We have an opportunity to not just offer solidarity in words but to commit to political action, grassroots action, local action and international action that will give us what justice requires and that is a free Palestine from the river to the sea,” he said, quoting the slogan of the PLO since its founding in 1964. The intention of the motto is to reject control by Israel of any land between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, including areas that were controlled by Israel prior to 1967. The slogan remains popular with Palestinians who reject compromise with Israel, including the terror group Hamas.
“Those calling for ‘from the river to the sea’ are calling for an end to the State of Israel,” Sharon Nazarian, the ADL’s senior vice president for international affairs.
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