Abstract
The visibility of the watermelon as a representation of the Palestinian cause has exponentially increased in recent years, particularly on social media. Given the popularity of the watermelon, its use in poster design warrants an in-depth investigation. This paper presents the results of an analysis of Palestine posters that have incorporated the watermelon from 2023 to 2025. The study provides insight into the way the watermelon is used in contemporary Palestine posters and adds to the literature on Palestine posters specifically and liberation graphics more broadly. A sample of 408 posters was drawn from the web-based Palestine Poster Project Archives (PPPA) and subjected to content and semiotic analyses. The analysis of the posters' metadata provides a contextual understanding of the posters with regard to the producers and distributors of the posters, indicating that most of the posters are in English, originate from international artists or agencies and were distributed online. An analysis of the metadata on iconography shows the prevalence, alongside the watermelon, of the Palestinian flag or colours, plants, signs related to Palestinian resistance, international solidarity and peace, as well as women. The watermelon icon, we argue, is used in various ways to express multiple meanings. We identify and discuss, by referring to poster examples, five broad ways in which the watermelon functions: namely as a metaphor for the Palestinian flag, land and the human body, as a weapon and as word.