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During the speech given as part of the U.N.'s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Hill presented himself as a proponent of boycotting and divesting from Israel.
"We have an opportunity to not just offer solidarity in words but to commit to political action, grass-roots action, local action and international action that will give us what justice requires and that is a free Palestine from the river to the sea."
The "river to the sea" phrase was interpreted as code for the destruction of Israel, a term used by the Palestinian group Hamas and other opponents who wish to obliterate the nation as it currently stands.
Hill has since clarified his statements via Twitter.
"My reference to 'river to the sea' was not a call to destroy anything or anyone. It was a call for justice, both in Israel and in the West Bank/Gaza. The speech very clearly and specifically said those things."
"I support Palestinian freedom. I support Palestinian self-determination. I do not support anti-Semitism, killing Jewish people, or any of the other things attributed to my speech. I have spent my life fighting these things."
