Florida’ River To the Sea’ teacher Layann Alhunaidi was placed on administrative leave Thursday because of her extreme Facebook posts, but she could have avoided all this trouble with a good old watermelon.
Related: Florida’ River to the Sea’ Teacher Placed on Administrative Leave
On Nov. 10, I wrote about Layann Alhunaidi, a local elementary school teacher who contacted the school board and the School Superintendent, Mike Burke, demanding some statement or action in support of “Palestine,” aka Gaza.
When Florida Jolt investigated, we found Alhunaidi’s Facebook page full of “River to the Sea” photos, and my phone call with her confirmed her beliefs. Original article: Palm Beach County Teacher a ‘River to Sea’ Advocate
Today, we noticed a few people posting nasty comments with a slice of watermelon as their Facebook photo.
Curious, we checked Alhunaidi’s Facebook page, and lo and behold, she had the same slice of watermelon. That’s not to imply that Alhunaidi made any of those comments because she did not, but this is what her Facebook page looked like as of this morning.
Related: Florida School Board Hit With 500 Letters Over ‘River to Sea’ Teacher
Related: FL Rep. Caruso Demands Action on ‘River to Sea’ Teacher – Karen Brill Made School Board Chair
According to Time.com
The watermelon has been a symbol of Palestinian solidarity since the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel banned public displays of the Palestinian flag in Gaza and the West Bank after seizing control of the areas. Palestinians began using the watermelon, which bears the colors of the Palestinian flag—red, black, white, and green—to get around the law. ~Time.com
The watermelon is also being used as a filter on TikTok to raise money for Gaza.
In the Washington Post, a teacher in London said,
The watermelon “is seen as a symbol of resistance and persistence,” Matar, who teaches at SOAS University of London said, adding that during protests against the Israeli occupation, Palestinians in the West Bank had carried the fruit “as a symbol of what it means to be Palestinian.”
When FloridaJolt first saw Alhunaidi’s Facebook page, it looked like this:
Then, right after I spoke to Alhunaidi, it looked like this:
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And now we have watermelons.
There’s a lesson here. It’s possible to advocate a pro-Palestinian position without advocating for the elimination of the State of Israel or the Jewish people.
In my first post about Alhunaidi, I wrote:
I’m a free speech absolutist, but the School System of Palm Beach County is not, and if they would fire a teacher who openly supported the KKK or the Nazi Party, then indeed, Alhunaidi should be fired. ~Jack Furnari
Maybe if the people who support Palestine showed some sympathy for the horrific slaughter of Jews on Oct. 7, stopped using Hamas phrases that call for the eradication of Israel and the Jewish people, and stopped tearing down Kidnapped from Israel posters, they might get more political traction.
They almost certainly wouldn’t lose their jobs.
Other stories you may want to read:
Breaking: Florida ‘River to the Sea’ Teacher Placed on Administrative Leave
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