From the opinion piece in question: "In the Middle East, 'Intifada Revolution' and 'From the river to the sea, [Palestine will be free]"' are unambiguously seen as
calls for terrorism and the wiping of Israel from the map, so why do ordinarily, ultra-cautious institutions suddenly claim that there might be a more benign meaning?"
Ordinarily, ultra-cautious institutions "suddenly" claim that there might be a more benign meaning because they are ultra-cautious institutions. As such, they matter-of-factly acknowledge that the slogan 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" is nothing more than an expression of the desire of Palestinians to be free of the occupation and accompanying oppression they have suffered since 1948.
In reality, even if Palestinians wished to wipe Israel off the map, it would be a pipe dream, for they haven't the ability to do so. Ergo, the assumption that it is Palestinians who want to wipe Israel off the map is a reflection of the psychological projection exhibited by many Israelis and their supporters. Indeed, with the world's fourth most robust military, complete with roughly 250 illegally produced and deployed theater nuclear warheads, Israel is more than capable of wiping what remains of Palestine off the map. And it is in the process of doing that as I type this message.
Haaretz read: "Israeli security cabinet member and Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter (Likud) was asked in a news interview on Saturday [Nov. 9, 2023] whether the images of northern Gaza Strip residents evacuating south on the IDF's orders are comparable to pictures of the Nakba. He replied: 'We are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba. From an operational point of view, there is no way to wage a war – as the IDF seeks to do in Gaza – with masses between the tanks and the soldiers.'"
And there are many other recent examples of Israeli officials boldly stating their genocidal intention concerning Gaza and, for that matter, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, too.
Moreover, the Likud party, which describes itself as conservative and nationalist, has been a staunch promoter of the concept of "Eretz Israel," or the so-called Bible-given right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel.
Per the Jewish Virtual Library, the Likud's original party manifesto in 1977 stated that "between the Sea and the Jordan, there will only be Israeli sovereignty." It also argued that the establishment of a Palestinian state "jeopardizes the security of the Jewish population" and "endangers the existence of the state of Israel."
Therefore, it is the little-known slogan "Between the Sea and the Jordan, there will only be Israeli sovereignty" that denotes a desire to commit genocide. And, as Israel is demonstrating at this moment, it can do so.