A Palestinian restaurant chain in the Big Apple is reportedly facing death threats for being “openly genocidal” for featuring a menu section called “From the River to the Sea.”
According to the New York Post, Abdul Elenani and Ayat Masoud opened the newest location for their restaurant Ayat this month in Brooklyn. Reportedly, the “From the River to the Sea” menu section lists its seafood, and the menu also features a crying Palestinian woman with the phrase “Down with the occupation.”
“From the River to the Sea” is a slogan used at pro-Palestine rallies to call for the destruction of Israel, which Townhall has covered. Since Hamas launched its barbaric attack on Israel in October, several pro-Hamas rallies across the globe have used this chant.
In an interview with the Post, Elenani said: ““That slogan has been on my menu for the past year, way before Oct. 7, and that slogan within our communities has always been defined as a calling for peace and equality for Palestinian people in their country.”
“And after Oct. 7, it was interpreted to be a way to kill, exile, murder, do whatever to all the Jewish people, which is totally nowhere near our definition. It’s been driving me crazy,” he added.
New Palestinian restaurant in Brooklyn faces backlash for ‘openly genocidal’ phrase on menu https://t.co/BIrlhPYK6P pic.twitter.com/g0AQcxqLjA
— New York Post (@nypost) December 29, 2023
“We’re getting bomb threats, threats to bomb our locations. It’s ridiculous. Our Instagram is one page for all the locations, we don’t have individual pages,” Elenani said, adding his wife was scared to leave the home with their newborn.
“Somebody emailed our page saying ‘Us Jews will annihilate you. Palestine does not exist. From the river to the sea will be 100 percent Israel. Palestinians need to be killed,” he explained.
Reportedly, the company’s social media pages have been flooded with backlash. Elenani told the Post the he does not condone with “any violence in the region” and that he does not align with the “evil” mentalities of protesters.
“We believe they’ll continue to exist,’ Elenani said of Israel. “Israel needs to stay there. The name ‘Israel’ needs to be there. ‘Palestine’ also needs to be there. It’s a peaceful two-state solution.”
City Councilman Kalman Yeger (D), who reportedly represents heavily-Jewish areas of the city, responded.
“These restaurateurs may think they are being cute or funny, but that phrase is universally recognized as a call for the annihilation of the Jewish people, and I find it hard to believe they don’t know what they’re doing,” said City Councilman Kalman Yeger, a Democrat. “They are using Hamas language and claiming it means something different to them.”
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