German intelligence agency says some watermelon symbols deny Israel’s right to exist

A German intelligence agency said the symbol becomes extremist imagery when used to depict the elimination of Israel as a state.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has classified certain uses of the watermelon symbol as extremist imagery when it is used in ways that deny Israel’s right to exist, amid ongoing debate over the symbol’s role in Palestinian activism and political protest.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) said depictions of Israel and the Palestinian territories as a single watermelon-shaped image constitute antisemitic symbolism because they erase Israel’s existence.

The watermelon image incorporates the colors red, black, white, and green, matching the colors of the Palestinian flag, and has become a common symbol in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and artwork.

Media outlets including The Jewish Chronicle reported on the German intelligence assessment, which focused specifically on imagery portraying the territory of Israel and the Palestinian territories as a unified watermelon outline.

The watermelon symbol emerged as a political expression after Israel banned public displays of the Palestinian flag and related political artwork in the West Bank and Gaza following the 1967 war. The restrictions were reinforced again in 1980.

Activists adopted the watermelon as an alternative symbol because its colors mirrored those of the Palestinian flag.

The BfV said the symbol becomes extremist imagery when used to depict the elimination of Israel as a state.

The debate surrounding the watermelon symbol has expanded beyond protest movements and into broader political and historical discussions.

Some interpretations of Jewish and Zionist history note that watermelons were cultivated and promoted in the region by early Zionist pioneers as part of agricultural revival efforts tied to the development of Jewish communities.

The symbol has appeared increasingly at demonstrations connected to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where it is used in posters, artwork, clothing, and social media imagery.

German authorities’ classification adds to wider scrutiny in Europe over symbols and slogans used at demonstrations related to the war and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly when authorities determine that imagery crosses from political expression into denial of Israel’s existence.