Case Description
Due to a technical glitch, our public comments portal for cases related to the "From the River to the Sea" phrase closed earlier than planned. To ensure everyone has a chance to share their input, we've reopened it for 24 hours. The portal will now close at 12pm BST on May 23rd.
These three cases concern content decisions made by Meta, all on Facebook, which the Oversight Board intends to address together.
The three posts were shared by different users in November 2023, following the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7 and the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Each post contains the phrase “From the river to the sea.” All three were reported by users for violating Meta’s Community Standards. The company decided to leave all three posts on Facebook. For each case, the Board will decide whether the content should be removed under Meta’s policies and according to its human rights responsibilities. Numbers of views and reports are correct as of the end of February 2024.
The first case concerns a comment from a Facebook user on another user’s video. The video has a caption encouraging others to “speak up” with numerous hashtags including “#ceasefire” and “#freepalestine.” The comment on the post contains the phrase “FromTheRiverToTheSea” in hashtag form, as well as several additional hashtags including “#DefundIsrael.” The comment had about 3,000 views and was reported seven times by four users. The reports were closed after Meta’s automated systems did not send them for human review within 48 hours.
In the second case, a Facebook user posted what appears to be a generated image of fruit floating on the sea that form the words from the phrase, along with “Palestine will be free.” The post had about 8 million views and was reported 951 times by 937 users. The first report on the post was closed, again because Meta’s automated systems did not send it for human review within 48 hours. Subsequent reports by users were reviewed and assessed as non-violating by human moderators.
In the third case, a Facebook page reshared a post from the page of a community organization in Canada in which a statement from the “founding members” of the organization declared support for “the Palestinian people,” condemning their “senseless slaughter” by the “Zionist State of Israel” and “Zionist Israeli occupiers.” The post ends with the phrase “From The River To The Sea.” This post had less than 1,000 views and was reported by one user. The report was automatically closed.
The Facebook users who reported the content, and subsequently appealed Meta’s decisions to leave up the content to the Board, claimed the phrase was breaking Meta’s rules on Hate Speech, Violence and Incitement or Dangerous Organizations and Individuals. The user who reported the content in the first case stated that the phrase violates Meta’s policies prohibiting content that promotes violence or supports terrorism. The users who reported the content in the second and third cases stated that the phrase constitutes hate speech, is antisemitic and is a call to abolish the state of Israel.
After the Board selected these cases for review, Meta confirmed its original decisions were correct. Meta informed the Board that it analyzed the content under three policies – Violence and Incitement, Hate Speech and Dangerous Organizations and Individuals – and found the posts did not violate any of these policies. Meta explained the company is aware that “From the river to the sea” has a long history and that it had reviewed use of the phrase on its platform after October 7, 2023. After that review, Meta determined that, without additional context, it cannot conclude that “From the river to the sea” constitutes a call to violence or a call for exclusion of any particular group, nor that it is linked exclusively to support for Hamas.
The Board selected these cases to consider how Meta should moderate the use of the phrase given the resurgence in its use after October 7, 2023, and controversies around the phrase’s meaning. On the one hand, the phrase has been used to advocate for the dignity and human rights of Palestinians. On the other hand, it could have antisemitic implications, as claimed by the users who submitted the cases to the Board. This case falls within the Board’s strategic priority of Crisis and Conflict Situations.
The Board would appreciate public comments that address:
- The origin and current uses of the phrase: “From the river to the sea.”
- Research into online trends in content using the phrase.
- Research into any associated online and offline harms from the use of the phrase.
- Meta’s human rights responsibilities in relation to content using the phrase including freedom of expression, freedom of association, and equality and non-discrimination.
- State and institutional (e.g., university) responses to the use of the phrase (e.g., during protests) and the human rights impacts of those responses.
As part of its decisions, the Board can issue policy recommendations to Meta. While recommendations are not binding, Meta must respond to them within 60 days. As such, the Board welcomes public comments proposing recommendations that are relevant to these cases.
Comments
The phrase "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free" is a call for genocide.
Historically, the phrase was originated by Hamas, whose charter is clear and unequivocal about making the current territory of Israel (ALL of it) "Judenrein", replacing it with a muslim country. Their open statements call for the murder of Jews everywhere in their reach, worldwide.
Although some who use this phrase content it's a call for making a new independent state of Palestine which is free for all, *alongside* Israel, this interpretation can NOT be forced into the words themselves, which clearly call of subjugation of ALL the territory from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River.
calling for the genocide of any ethnic race is a racist incitement to violence and must not be allowed! it wouldn't be tolerated if it wasn't Israel.
We in US like to talk about freedom, but often forget that we are not free to harm others or impact their liberty; we are free to choose our own beliefs but not inflict them on others.
Meta has a great responsibility given its position. I believe that banning the “From the river to the sea…” is the correct action given all that is implied. You cannot support terrorism on your platform or else you are not supporting freedom.
Palestinians publicly admit to the genocide of the Israelis. The Israelis are defending themselves. How can the Hamas even be allowed to exist?
הביטוי קורא להשמדת היהודים. נקודה. אין לו מקום בעולמנו היום. הוא שווה ערך לצלב קרס, וכל מי שחושב אחרת צריך להתעורר על עצמו
This slogan intentionally calls for an entire existing country to no longer exist. In order for there to be peace, this land will need to be shared. Calling for Israel to no longer exist requires all of the Israeli citizens to leave or die. This is a call for ethnic cleansing and genocide, which is wrong and a clear violation of community standards. It is wrong against Palestinians and wrong against Israelis. It emboldens the radical anti jews to hide behind the pro Palestinian movement.
Everybody knows that "From the river to the sea, Palistine will be free" means "Kill all the Jews between the river and the sea"
How is it possible that you don't?
„From the river to the sea“ is just refusing the recognation of the State of Israel. It is a call for the destroying the jewish people. This is a call of hatred and nazi mind.
Never „from the River to the sea“ should found a place on social medias.
This is calling for inhalation of Israell and Jews... calling for genocide and it is clearly anti-semitic.
From the river to the sea is Antisemitism and hate speech. Please do the right thing and block it. Thank you.
I am offended by the genocidal slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. It calls for the complete annihilation of the free and democratic state of Israel and its replacement by the radical Islamic state, ruled by Hamas and Iran. I demand that this comment be considered offensive, calling for violence and be banned from all social platforms, administered by Meta
"From the river to the sea" is a call for genocide of all the indigenous Jews in the land of Israel and clearly hate speech.
There is so much hate it is unnecessary to allow these hate speeches and comments. Enough! Social media like yours only exasperates these situations.
It is time for meta and Facebook to live up to their promises, and ban this phrase, from the river to the sea, from their platforms for good. This is hate speech pure and simple. If meta is truly dedicated to a hate free platform, then you must take immediate action on this and similar phrases.
From the river to the sea is a call for the destruction of the only Jewish country in the world and the annihilation of its citizens. As a child of holocaust survivors I know first hand how devastating such sentiments can be and how important for good people throughout the world to ban such comments. Please do so
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” is an open call for the complete annihilation of the State of Israel and its citizens.
This is 100% genocidal hate speech that advocates for the destruction of the one and only Jewish state and the mass murder of its Jewish population.
POSTS THAT INCLUDE “FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA”
Are incitement to acts of violence and threats of genocide to the Jewish Nation.
This is a danger to all races.
Israel wants to live peacefully with her neighbors.
Time and time again they have been rebuffed and must recently violently attacked by Hamas who has killed 1200 people from many nations and captured tortured raped and deprived 250 hostages which they are holding and inhumane conditions and subjecting to psychological torture and holding the world to ransom.
Evil must not be allowed to succeed, because you and I will be the next victims.
This phrase is plainly hate speech. It should never be allowed on Facebook.
Hate speech is not free speech and is not protected under the First Amendment. "From the river to the sea" is a call to wipe out Israel and replace it with a Palestinian state. It is a direct call for violence against Israel and Israelis everywhere, and has been used to justify violence and harassment of Jewish people regardless of their personal connection to Israel.
Facebook and other social media platforms need to remove content that calls for violence, especially when it targets a particular minority group.
From the river to the sea is an antisemitic comment calling for the destruction of the State of Israel and should be banned from Facebook and all the other platforms Meta owns. It is not freedom of speech, it’s hate speech, and there’s no room for it in 2024 if we want to try to save the world from the mess it’s heading towards.