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
From the River to the Sea is a call for peaceful coexistence between all people who live in Palestine. It does NOT violate community guidelines- banning this phrase would be indicative of anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab racism.
Also, shadow banning people who are attempting to advocate for human rights of Palestinian people is also racist.
I believe this is a severe violation of freedom of speech. Simply because one group feels a perceived sense of fear or manufactured fear doesn’t mean our freedoms should be impeded upon. If this phrase must be censored, there are certainly many more words and phrases that would fall under these parameters. I don’t believe anything should be censored unless it is causing tangible and irrevocable harm to a person or a group of people.
הקריאה הזו קוראת להשמיד אותי ואת העם שלי, לא לאפשר לי לחיות על האדמה שאליה אבות אבותיי קשורים. האו״ם החליט שהשטח הזה איננו חופשי מיהודים ועל כן אין לתת לקריאות מהסיג הזה מקום ברשת! אני בספק שמי שמהדהד את הקריאות הללו מכיר את המפה האזורית ומבין על איזה נהר או איזה ים מדובר. כל אדם זכאי לבית, זה הבית שלי הקריאות האלה פשוט אכזריות.
Arguments For Using the Phrase:
- Supporters argue it represents Palestinian demands for equal rights, dignity and statehood in their ancestral homeland after decades of displacement and occupation.[2][4] It affirms national aspirations, not threats.
- The slogan predates modern Palestinian resistance groups and initially emerged as a rejection of proposals to displace Palestinians from their lands during the British Mandate.[4]
- For some like Rep. Tlaib, it expresses a vision of peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians with equal political rights, whether in two states or one binational state.[2][4]
- Attempts to censor the phrase are seen as silencing Palestinian voices and denying their narratives about the region's history.[4]
While the interpretations differ, the fierce debate around the slogan's use outside Palestine reflects the wider unresolved struggle over competing national movements and claims to the same territory.[1][2][3][4] Its perceived meaning has made it a flashpoint deserving of nuanced discussion.[2][4]
Citations:
[1] Why 'river to sea' pro-Palestinian slogan is controversial - DW https://www.dw.com/en/from-the-river-to-the-sea-controversy-over-pro-palestinian-slogan/a-67465637
[2] The controversial phrase “from the river to sea,” explained - Vox https://www.vox.com/world-politics/23972967/river-to-sea-palestine-israel-hamas
[3] 'From the river to the sea' should have no place in public discourse https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-from-the-river-to-the-sea-should-have-no-place-in-public-discourse/
[4] 'From the river to the sea' – a Palestinian historian explores the ... https://theconversation.com/from-the-river-to-the-sea-a-palestinian-historian-explores-the-meaning-and-intent-of-scrutinized-slogan-217491
[5] 'From the river to the sea': One slogan, many meanings https://revdem.ceu.edu/2024/03/27/from-the-river-to-the-sea-one-slogan-many-meanings/
The slogan river to sea is the expression to have equal rights and freedom of movement without restrictions and check-posts for the Palestinians, Muslims or Christians alike, under government of Israel policies that is discriminatory in nature against them. The military law for only Palestinians and harsh punishments associated with it for as much as waving a Palestinian flag or referring to a piece of land as Palestine, that applies to all regardless of age, are the symptoms of an apartheid state. It is known fact with evidence that children as old as 7-12 years old are arrested and taken away from families for hours to weeks and months under special privileges given to police and military that are not applicable to someone of Jewish faith living in Israel. Therefore, banning ‘river to the sea’ is denying freedom of expressions and hope that in free societies like ours we do not suppress or shutdown! In comparison Israel’s government ministers use the slogan from the river to the river and that is to say state of Israel will spread beyond current boarders to other countries and all between two rivers!
הביטוי "מהנהר לים..." קורא לקיום של חירות פלסטינית בין נהר הירדן לים התיכון, בין שני גופי מים אלה קיימת ישות פוליטית הנקראת מדינת ישראל.
אני, כאדם ישראלי, יכול להבין את הרצון של אדם המגדיר עצמו כפלסטיני ביישות פוליטית, אך לא תוך ביטול מוחלט של הזכות שלי להתקיים בשטח.
אני, הוריי וחלק מהוריהם נולדנו בין הירדן לים. אם עליי לפנות את האזור אני צריך להתפנות ל5 מדינות שמהן יצאו אבות אבותיי, ואין לי זיכה למדינות אלה. אם אדם כלשהו טוען לזכות של פלסטיני להכרה עצמית, אני לא רואה שום הגיון בכך שזה יהיה תוך התעלמות מהזכות שלי לארצי, ולכן טענה זו פוגענית, ונתפסת בעיניי כקריאה להרס של המדינה והלאום שלי.
The phrase "from the river to the sea" refers to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which encompasses historical Palestine, including present-day Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.[1][4] For Palestinians, it expresses a desire for self-determination and freedom throughout this region, which has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967.[4][5]
The slogan does not inherently call for the destruction of Israel or harm to Jewish people. Rather, it reflects the Palestinian aspiration for equal rights and an independent state in their ancestral homeland.[4][5] Many Palestinians view it as a demand for national liberation from decades of occupation and displacement, not as a threat against Israeli Jews.[5]
Historians note the phrase emerged in the context of Palestinians rejecting proposals that would have forced them off their lands, and later as a response to the 1948 exodus when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians became refugees.[5] Today, it represents a unified call for Palestinian statehood and an end to the ongoing occupation, not necessarily the elimination of Israel itself.[4][5]
Citations:
[1] What does 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' mean? https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/from-the-river-to-the-sea-palestine-1.7033881
[2] What does 'from the river to the sea' actually mean? | AP News https://apnews.com/article/river-sea-israel-gaza-hamas-protests-d7abbd756f481fe50b6fa5c0b907cd49
[3] “From the River to the Sea” | #TranslateHate | AJC https://www.ajc.org/translatehate/From-the-River-to-the-Sea
[4] The controversial phrase “from the river to sea,” explained - Vox https://www.vox.com/world-politics/23972967/river-to-sea-palestine-israel-hamas
[5] 'From the river to the sea' – a Palestinian historian explores the ... https://theconversation.com/from-the-river-to-the-sea-a-palestinian-historian-explores-the-meaning-and-intent-of-scrutinized-slogan-217491
It is completely ridiculous that “from the river to the sea” would be flagged as hate speech. Can anyone even identify what part of the phrase is offensive or hating on a specific group of people? This is like saying “Land Back” is hate speech or “Black Lives Matter” is hate speech even though, once again, there is nothing in those phrases that is indicative of hate towards anyone. As a matter of fact, they are all phrases of justice.
Hello. The phrase “From the river to the sea Palestinian will be free” is an anti Jew and anti Israel hate crime.
It calls to the eradication of Jews from the piece of land between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean Sea - this piece of land is where Israel is. There for this phrase is calling to the eradication and killing of Jews from their home, from the only Jewish country in the world.
I disagree with Meta decision on censoring "from the river to the sea". This is not hate speech and is not intended to be hate speech.
I must confess that I am relatively new to political activism and advocation for universal human rights. I will share my feedback on this question as I see it, and as I have observed around me both digitally and in person within the activist community. “From the river to the sea” is a call for universal rights to those from all backgrounds within Israel and Occupied Territories. It is a call to end a system of oppression, murder, and apartheid, and to oppose inequality in all forms. The current form is in the Israeli government’s policies, but suppression of nonviolent speech which questions the existence of policy is suppression of equality itself. Equating the Jewish people to Israel is in itself antisemitism and likely poses a greater threat to Jewish people than any nonviolent forms of Palestinian protest.
This is not a call for genocide, it is a call against being genocided. This is not even a war - one 'side' is being aggressively bombed, chased from their homes, and then the 'safe' places they have been chased to are being bombed anyway. The other 'side' has billion-dollar funding for their weapons and fight from a place of comparative safety.
The rallying cry of oppressed people being suppressed would make Meta to some extent complicit in the ongoing genocide.
Do not impede or freedom of speech with false accusations of its intention.
To sum it up- I live between the river and the sea, and I live in my country that I was born in -״Israel” so when people call “from the river to the sea” they mean the elimination of Israelies from the region . On October 7th we saw that that call also stands not only for the elimination, but for the massacre of Israelis. Therefore -this statement means murder, shouldn’t be allowed in public spaces .
There simply isn’t an excuse to write off this statement as hate speech or anti semitic.
It simply means that the territories in the said region should be free from occupation. There’s nothing anti semitic about that.
Everyone knows what areas are occupied so it isn’t exactly a case of false propaganda either.
Hence simply portraying a legitimate, fair and inoffensive statement forcibly as something that it isn’t is wrong.
The phrase 'From the River to the Sea' is not and has never been a call for any type of violence. It is used to represent the need to end SYSTEMS of apartheid, oppression and colonization. A bar on its use would be a deeply problematic limitation to the freedom of expression of Meta users.