Cenk Uygur, host of “The Young Turks” and a declared candidate for the 2024 Democratic Party presidential nomination, has sparked a debate on social media with his recent request for critics of Israel to stop using the “From the River to the Sea” chant. Uygur described the chant as “hurtful” to Jewish people and “counterproductive” to the Palestinian cause.

In a post on his social media account on Monday, Uygur urged, “Can everyone please stop the dumb ‘from the river to the sea’ chant? It is incredibly hurtful to our Jewish brothers and sisters.” He added that the chant is perceived by many as a call for genocide, which is detrimental to the efforts to protect Palestinians.

The slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a phrase often used by radical supporters of Palestine in their demonstrations against Israel. It is widely regarded as a call for the elimination of the Jewish state in Israel. Nathan Sales, a former counterterrorism coordinator, recently told Fox News that the slogan is seen as advocating for “the extermination of the Jewish state,” as proponents of it believe that “Israel shouldn’t exist at all.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has also identified the chant as a call to violence against Jews in Israel. On its website, the ADL stated that the slogan has been used by anti-Israel voices, including supporters of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the PFLP, which aim for Israel’s destruction through violent means. According to the ADL, the slogan fundamentally calls for a Palestinian state encompassing the entire territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which includes the State of Israel, implying the dismantling of the Jewish state.

Uygur’s recent posts represent a shift in tone compared to his other recent anti-Israel statements. He accused Israel of committing “genocide” against Palestinians in its conflict with Hamas and criticized the United States for funding what he described as war crimes. He condemned the the U.S. government’s stance, which reprimands college administrators for allowing anti-Israel rhetoric on campuses while also supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza.

In another post, Uygur highlighted what he sees as a double standard in the U.S. Congress’s approach to the situation, criticizing the allocation of funds to Israel while accusing it of perpetrating a genocide against the Palestinian people. He also argued that while Israel’s supporters claim Palestinians do not want Israel to exist, in reality, he believes Israel is blocking the existence of Palestine and keeping Palestinians in an “open-air prison.”

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