A small watermelon grows on a vine at my grandmother’s house in Helhul, situated in the southern region of the occupied West Bank. The image was captured two days before the outbreak of the war. My grandmother had used the skin and seeds of a previous watermelon as compost on her land months earlier. For decades, the watermelon has served as a symbol of Palestinian resilience. It first emerged after the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza, including East Jerusalem. In response to the Israeli regime's ban on public displays of the Palestinian flag, Palestinians began using the watermelon as an expression of their identity, as the fruit's colors mirror those of the Palestinian flag.
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