Israel praises Berlin court's ruling on 'river to the sea' slogan

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has praised the decision by a Berlin court to classify using the controversial pro-Palestinian slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" as use of a "terrorist symbol."

"I welcome the decision of the Berlin Regional Court to outlaw the phrase ... The new anti-Semitism that is based on the denial of the Jewish state's right to exist must be uprooted!" Saar wrote on X on Saturday.

A court in the German capital found a protester guilty for the first time on Friday of employing a symbol of a terrorist organization for using the phrase.

The presiding judge said the slogan is a symbol of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group, which the European Union classifies as a terrorist organization.

The court imposed a fine of €1,300 ($1,390) on the 42-year-old defendant.

The defence lawyer has said they will appeal the decision.

The slogan calls for a free Palestine stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which is the area currently occupied by Israel.

German police have sought to crack down on the use of the phrase, which Israel has described as anti-Semitic, saying it calls for the elimination of the state of Israel.

Criminal courts throughout Germany have followed different interpretations of the slogan. There has been no Supreme Court ruling on the phrase so far.