The slogan of Down With Israel in three languages:Persian,Arabic andEnglish; written on a poster related to a march inIran. (2017,Bojnord, march condemning the transfer of the capital ofIsrael toJerusalem)
"Death to Israel"[a] (also "Down with Israel") is a political slogan againstIsrael, which is most often used inIran.[1][2][3][4] Every year, Iranian pilgrims sing the slogan of "death to Israel" during theHajj rituals and theceremony of disavowal of polytheists.[5][6] This slogan is especially chanted against Israel by demonstrators onQuds Day and is often accompanied by the burning of the Israeli flag.[7] This slogan has also been used in the atmosphere of theIslamic Consultative Assembly of Iran.[8] In the film released from Iran's missile exercise duringMahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, the slogan "Death to Israel" was written onballistic missiles that were fired at replicas.[4] In Iran, the slogan is not merely rhetorical but reflects the government's view of Israel's position in the region, and is a central component of Iran'spolicy of seeking Israel's destruction.[9]
Other uses
Houthi movement
TheSarkha, the slogan on the flag of theHouthis inYemen is as follows: "God is greater, Death to America, Death to Israel, curse to the Jews, victory to Islam."
The slogan of theHouthis, theShia militant group inYemen, which Iran also supports,[10] is "God is greater, death to America, death to Israel, curse to the Jews, victory to Islam".[11][12][13] This slogan is also one of the slogans used byHezbollah inLebanon.[14]Tariq Alhomayed believes that the slogan of death to Israel in the Arab world has lost its function and holding reconciliation agreements between the Arab countries of the region with Israel is proof of this claim.[15] This slogan, as one of the symbols of hatred againstIsrael, has been noticed by the rulers of theMiddle East region.[16]
Reactions
Opponents
Nikki Haley, the former representative of theUnited States in theUnited Nations andfailed 2024 presidential candidate, in a tweet, considered this slogan, along with the slogan ofdeath to America, as a reason to opposeIran. She believes that Iran is looking fornuclear weapons and is seeking to realize these two slogans.[1]Akram Meknes, one of theArabic language writers, considers the slogan of death to Israel as an erosion slogan that does not convince even children these days and has lost its effectiveness.[17]Karim Sadjadpour considers the slogan of death to America, along with death to Israel, as well as thehijab, to be the main foundations of the Islamic Republic of Iran's ideology, which remains for them in the 2020s.[18]Benjamin Netanyahu, referring to this slogan, considers it a proof of the radical atmosphere ruling in Iran.[19]
According to theIslam Quest website, this slogan is permissible due to the "tyranny of the Israeli government".[20]Ali Al Bukhaiti, the former spokesman and the official media face of theHouthis, said: "We really do not want anyone's death. This slogan is only against the intervention of those governments [i.e. the United States and Israel]."[21]Ali Khamenei also considered this slogan as the "slogan of the Iranian nation" and does not consider it specific to one of the Iranian cities.[22]Masoud Jazayeri, the spokesman of the Iranian Armed Forces, also claimed in an interview that: "Cries of death to America, death to England, death to Israel, etc. did not arise overnight; That by saying this reason and that reason, it should be removed from the political discourse of nations wounded byimperialism andarrogance and domination regimes."[23]
Margins
Habibah Jaghoori, a student of theUniversity of Adelaide and the editor of that university's student magazine, was fired from the magazine after publishing an anti-Zionist article titled "Death to Israel".[24][25][26] That article contains the following content:
The solution to achieving peace and establishing justice for Palestine is to demand the destruction of Israel. Free Palestine and death to Israel.
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