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 (Jordan) to the (Mediterranean) Sea” can only mean the expulsion of Jews from Israel. It does not seek a two-state solution; it does not vie for co-existence. It’s a statement of my way or the highway.
In the Jewish legal tradition, we have a classic case of two people holding on to a garment each says it is 100% theirs. The solution? they split it. Then there’s a follow up case of two people holding on to a garment. One says it’s 100% his and the other says it’s 50% his.
Jews have always preferred to share and co-exist. This has never been the desire of Israel’s neighbors who want it all, which means they hope it will be Judendein, Hitler’ s aim and goal. Israel has made numerous and successive documented overtures to share. Practically all have been rejected and the deals made have not been kept.
The phrase is offensive and denotes expelling or murdering a race of people. The reason some of those using the phrase do not understand how offensive it is, is because they are unaware of the history, the facts and the nuances of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. But that is not an excuse. Imagine a young child of the South in the 40s or 50s referring to African Americans using a vile slur. He now comes up north to university and uses this offensive term on polite company. Hopefully the aforementioned polite company will protest the term and educate the young man how deeply offensive, insensitive and inappropriate it is.
“From the River to the Sea” is no different.
From the river to the sea is a genocidal expression which originated shortly after the partition of Palestine into trans Jordan to be ruled by the Hashemites, Israel for the Jewish population and what was supposed to be a state of Palestine for the Arab population. The Arabs rejected a state and the creation of a Jewish state in their midst and vowed to drive all the Jews into the sea. This chant could be heard on the streets of Cairo, Syria, Jordan etc.
The chant supports and parrots the charter of multiple terrorist organizations that call for the annihilation of the jews. Namely that of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” is a rhyming English translation of the Arabic rallying cry that more literally translates as “Palestine will be Arab.” It is calling for a Palestinian state on the entire area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which would mean the elimination of Israel as a state and certainly leave no room for the peaceful coexistence of an Israeli and Palestinian state side by side. In addition, as Palestinians have continually demanded that a Palestinian state be free from Jews, it is not merely a call for changing of governmental regimes, but a call for the ethnic cleansing of all Jews from the Area. It should most certainly be considered hate speech.
The phrase "from the river to the sea" is a rallying cry for those who seek to destroy the Jewish state and eradicate our people's connection to our ancestral homeland. It's a call to erase the very existence of Israel and replace it with a Palestinian state. As a Chabad Bochur, I find this phrase deeply offensive because it denies our fundamental right to self-determination and ignores the centuries of Jewish presence in the Land of Israel.
This phrase is not just a harmless slogan; it's a declaration of war against anyone Jewish.
The phrase from the river to the sea is a call for the destruction of Israel and eradication of the Jewish people. It is rallying cry for terrorists and antisemites and it's utterance and chills down my spine. How can something so hateful and violent be tolerated and civilized society?
It's not just offensive it is incitement to violence it is a clear and present danger to the Jewish community and should be treated as such. Those who use this phrase should be held accountable for their actions and face the full force of law.
As a Chabad Rabbi, I'm committed to the safety and security of the Jewish people and I believe that language like this should be condemned and illegal.
W must stand up against his speech and excitement of violence, no matter where it comes from. Longest language to go on challenge since the dangerous message that hate and tolerance are acceptable. I believe in the power of love and kindness to bring people together and reject this hatred and division represented by this phrase.
It should be shut down immediately everyone knows the harm it does so speeches aren't even necessary.
Pure hatred and anti semitisum
The phrase "from the river to the sea" was first used in support of a Palestinian State by the PLO in 1964, as a call for an Arab state spanning the entirety of what was the British Mandate for Palestine before 1948.
The UN passed a proposal in November 1947 to partition the then-British Mandate for Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The day after British forces left the region, and Israel declared independence, several of her Arab neighbors refused to recognize the partition and attacked Israel, in a war that eventually led to Israel's signing armistices with the surrounding Arab countries and the establishment of her internationally recognized borders. (This is in addition to the historical claim - dating back to 1000 BCE - recognized by historians worldwide, that the Jewish people have to the land of Israel.)
The call for a Palestinian state "from the river to the sea" - namely, the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea - is in direct conflict with the legitimate undisputed state borders of Israel, which span the majority of that area.
Many individuals, especially young ones (such as in college campuses and on social media), touting the above phrase, are unaware of the historical or even geographical reality of the region, and the ramifications of what the actual realization of the slogan would represent - the abolishment of the state of Israel. (Not to mention that virtually all of them are entirely unaware of the presence of Jews in the region dating back millennia, claiming instead that Palestinians are the native inhabitants of the land and "Zionist colonization" began in 1948.)
This makes the widespread usage of such terminology even more harmful, as its users are by a vast majority uninformed about the ramifications of their words.
The phrase is used by Hamas to mean "the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea", and by Islamic Jihad, "from the river to the sea is an Arab Islamic land .. and the Israeli presence in Palestine is a null existence". President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran put it this way: "The only solution is a Palestinian state from the river to the sea." These all clearly show the intent of such a phrase, a violent call for the eradication of any Israel in the entire region.
The White House has condemned the usage of the phrase, and Press Secretary Jean-Pierre has called it "divisive and hurtful", and noted that "many people find it anti-Semitic". The House of Representatives has condemned the slogan as anti-Semitic as well.
In conclusion: The mindless espousal of the phrase in college campuses and on social media ignores historical and geographical reality, and induces fear in the Jewish community locally and beyond, inciting hatred and impeding efforts for peace and stability.
Jewish people don't like to attract much attention, and would rather prefer to be left alone to do they're own thing. More often than not, when hearing antisemitic works or slogans they bottle it up while feeling miserable and afraid. I have met many people that say how scared they are to publicly some their religion because they see online all the hate. They are referring to the slogan "from the river to the sea...." The clear meaning of this is the desire and wanting to destroy all the Jews. What is heard in those words is not freedom for Palestinians, rather the destruction of the Jewish people. While most people don't have that intentional thank G-d, the fact that it is being wildly spread online causes uncomfort or even worse.
Meta is so eager to suppress Palestinian voices and experiences while refusing to remove overt hate speech from racists, misogynists, homophobes and transphobes on personal profiles, pages and groups. Bigots threaten and celebrate violence and their posts are allowed to stand when we report them, despite obviously violating community standards. Stop targeting people who speak out against the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and start addressing the actual hate speech plastered all over your platforms.
“From the river to the sea” is a political slogan, not a genocidal war cry. Versions of this phrase have been used over the years by the PLO and the Likud. It is provocative but it is not hate speech.
It refers to Palestinian aspirations for statehood. Protesters using it now generally follow it with the rhyme: “Palestine will be free.”
Most of the Palestinians I have met, like most Israelis, want to live in peace and security, free from persecution from their neighbors. The international community has a duty to foster peaceful coexistence and dialogue. There is no reason these two sides can’t set aside decades of bloody conflict and find a peaceful, democratic way forward. It will be difficult. But it can be done. Witness Northern Ireland, South Africa, and elsewhere.
Words matter. Anti-Semitism is wrong. Israel has a right to exist. Israel does exist. Palestinians have a right to a state of their own too. To deny that aspiration - or the mere expression of that aspiration - as being somehow anti-Semitic is disingenuous.
Provocative slogans are not hate speech. Surely Facebook has room for all sides in this discussion. In fact, one could argue that Facebook as an inclusive social platform has a duty to be fair-minded.
Since October 7th, I have been on campus at USC nearly everyday, meeting with hundreds of the students in our community as they dealt with the heightened tensions caused by the horrible attacks and resultant war, as well as rising antisemitism and anti-Israel activity on campus. I witnessed dozens of demonstrations and gathering and the impact they had on so many of our students. In addition, I provided care and support in conversation to well over 1,000 students during these months.
Whatever claims may be made, to the overwhelming majority of the Jewish students here at USC, the words "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free" imply a wish for the complete destruction of the State of Israel. A significant portion of our students originate from Jewish communities in predominately Muslim countries, such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, Tunisia, Morocco, and so many others. They grew up with the first-hand accounts of their parents and grandparents - how they were forced out of lands that their ancestors had lived in for hundreds, and even thousands, of years. Over a million Jews were forced to become refugees, often barely escaping with their lives, because of the persecution throughout the Arab world. They know what kind of welcome Jews can expect in a "free" state of Palestine.
Anybody who remembers the history of Jews being lynched and murdered in Ramallah and elsewhere throughout the West Bank during the intifadas knows that "from the river to the sea" is a call for genocide of all Jews in Israel - the biggest plurality of Jews anywhere in the world.
Anybody who has read the Hamas charter knows what those words mean. Anybody who has been to Israel and seen the signs as you enter parts of the West Banks - delineating the areas where "No Jews allowed entry" - knows what the words "From the River to the Sea" mean.
And when those calls are paired with chants calling for "Intifada revolution" as "the only solution", or - immediately after the attacks on Oct. 7 slaughtering over 1200 innocents - crying "resistance is justified, by any means necessary", it becomes even more blatantly clear how hateful "From the River to the Sea" really is.
Of course, people attempt to explain the chants as just calls for Palestinian human rights. If only that were true, we would all passionately support them. But would you accept the KKK's attempts to rationalize their bigotry as peaceful? Would you ask the Westboro Baptist Church what they really mean by their anti-LGBT rhetoric? I have personally witnessed the toll chants such as "From the River to the Sea" have had on hundreds of Jewish and allied students. It is clear to them - and to thousands like them - as the objects of this hate speech, what the meaning is and how hateful it is. Why would anybody discount their voices and experiences by allowing fictionalized rationalizations of what the hate speech actually intends?
Since October 7th, I have been on campus at USC nearly everybday, meeting with hundreds of the students in our community as they dealt with the heightened tensions caused by the horrible attacks and resultant war, as well as rising antisemitism and anti-Israel activity on campus. I witnessed dozens of demonstrations and gathering and the impact they had on so many of our students. In addition, I provided pastoral care and support conversation to well over 1,000 students during these months.
Whatever claims may be made, to the overwhelming majority of the Jewish students here at USC, the words "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free" imply a wish for the complete destruction of the State of Israel. A significant portion of our students originate from Jewish communities in predominately Muslim countries, such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, Tunisia, Morocco, and so many others. They grew up with the first-hand accounts of their parents and grandparents - how they were forced out of lands that their ancestors had lived in for hundreds, and even thousands, of years. Over a million Jews were forced to become refugees, often barely escaping with their lives, because of the persecution throughout the Arab world. They know what kind of welcome Jews can expect in a "free" state of Palestine.
Anybody who remembers the history of Jews being lynched and murdered in Ramallah and elsewhere throughout the West Bank during the intifadas knows that "from the river to the sea" is a call for genocide of all Jews in Israel - the biggest plurality of Jews anywhere in the world.
Anybody who has read the Hamas charter knows what those words mean. Anybody who has been to Israel and seen the signs as you enter parts of the West Banks - delineating the areas were "No Jews allowed entry" - knows what the words "From the River to the Sea" mean.
And when those calls are paired with chants calling for "Intifada revolution" as "the only solution", or - immediately after the attacks om Oct. 7 slaughtered over 1200 innocents - crying "resistance is justified, by any means necessary", it becomes even more blatantly clear how hateful "From the River to the Sea" really is.
Of course, people attempt to.explain the chants as just calls for Palestinian human rights. If only that were true, we would all passionately support them. But would you accept the KKK's attempts to rationalize their bigotry as peaceful? Would you as the Westboro Baptist Church what they really mean by their anti-LGBT rhetoric? I have persomally witnessed the toll chants such as "From the River to the Sea" have had on hundreds of Jewish and allied students. It is clear to them - and to thousands like them - as the objects of this hate speech, what the meaning is and how hateful it is. Why would anybody discount their voices and experiences by allowing fictionalized rationalizations of what the hate speech actually intends?
The phrase "from the river to the sea" is a transparent, blatant call for the annihilation of Israel as a Jewish state. With Israel being the only Jewish state in the world, home to several million Jews, this is essentially a call for (at the very least!) the deportation of all the Jews living in the state, if not much worse. This is no different than the call of Nazis in pre world war II Germany calling for Germany/Europe to be "Judenrein".
The chant "From the river to the sea..." has been one of the rallying cries of the current pro-Jihad anti-Western campus movement. It has always been properly understood by the Jewish students as a very thinly veiled call for expulsion, ethnic cleansing, and massacre/genocide of all Jews living in the holy land of Israel, which is the geographic reference of this chant.
Consequently, many students are triggered, harassed and deeply impacted by this chant in a negative way, as it is essentially calling for violence against them, their families and friends.
US Congress properly recognized the chant as deeply hateful and antisemitic. Universities and media companies should do the same.
Although many use the phrase from the river to the sea to mean that Palestinians have the right to self rule their nation, others use the phrase to mean Israel does not have the right to exist and that the land is only free when it is free of Jews. Hamas is the leadership of Gaza. Settlers and Jews were pulled out of Gaza. Hamas leaders have on more than one occassion stated their goal is to end the existence of Israel. I have had protestors tell me Israel does not have the right to exist and they have rewritten history. If the UN used the same rules for all people who have fled their countries to save their lives, Jews around the world would also be refugees. Written records of early Jewish services have Jews stating next year in Jerusalem .. Children are being taught in U.S. public schools that Jews are white colonizers who kicked out the ethnic people. Slide shows include from the river to the sea. How does the reader know when the phrase is being used as code for the ethnic clearing of Jews versus Palestinians being given the right to call a piece of land their own country ? Since we do not know which meaning is being used, the phrase should not be allowed on Facebook. Posters do not need to use this phrase to communicate their beliefs. If they are pro a separate country for Palestinians - this can simply be stated.
From the river to the sea is a chant that calls for the destruction of the Jewish people and in support of Hamas a terrorist organization. Even those who chant it are willing to admit as much. They want to murder every Jew, not just in Israel. They have made it clear it's not about land rather to kill as many Jews as possible as was purpetrated on October 7.
People in our community are very disturbed and pained by such redderick. Make no mistake, it is an clear threat to every Jew.
“From the River to the Sea” should be banned since it means elimination of Jews in Israel. It is banned in Germany.
I consider the phrase “from the river to the sea” to represent the long-standing Palestinian belief that the entire area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea should be a Moslem territory, and therefore that Jews have no right to any independent jurisdiction there. In other words, in means the destruction of Israel as a country and the positioning of any Jews that might be allowed to remain as second-class citizens.
It is thus inherently antisemitic. Anyone with an ounce of education about the Arab-Israeli conflict knows this.
From the River to the Sea (Palestine will be Free) can be construed as a number of things and stem from a number of motivations:
* A call for the elimination of the State of Israel to be replaced with the State of Palestine.
* A romantic call for the return of a golden era of Palestinian sovereignty that never existed where Palestinians farmed the land, harvested their olives, and tended sheep in peace and harmony until the evil Jews came from Eastern Europe to replace them.
* A bi-national state that is Arab and Jewish that means the end of Jewish sovereignty, and thus the end of Israel
Motivations:
* Ignorance and seeking an end to the cycle of violence causing distress to well-intentioned students who are also proving to be useful to more malignant actors
* Factions within society who want to see an end to Western values and U.S. hegemony as the embodiment of those values.
* Seeking and end to the cycle of violence causing distress and demonization of Jews by Jews who wish to not be demonized or othered, and a useful term to prove they are "good Jews"
* Antisemitism, AntiZionism, hatred and bigotry
"From the River to the Sea" necessitates the destruction of Israel. This is further evidenced by the Arabic translation being "From water to war, Palestine is Arab." Social media has a moral obligation to remove hateful, genocidal phrases and dog whistles. I support the automatic removal of all posts that endorse this phrase.
What “Free Palestine” means is that Israel as a Jewish state has no right to exist. “Palestine”, in this context, and explained by "from the river to the sea", is the ENTIRE land of Israel, not just Gaza or the West Bank. Therefore, this statement indicates that the Jewish people have taken land that does not belong to them. We see this in adjacent messaging that says that Israel are settlers who colonized "Palestine", and the "Zionist army" forcibly removed native "Palestinians" from their homeland. Furthermore, that the Palestinians have been forced to live in an "open air prison" by the Israeli government. All of this is factually inaccurate.
The truth is that the land of Israel was, for decades prior to 1948, under the control of the British Empire. In this land, Jews, Arabs, Christians, Druids, and other ethnicities lived together for centuries under the control of the Turks, Romans, English, etc. After WWII, Jews were displaced from their homes throughout Europe without their families or belongings, and countries were denying them entry The British Empire, through the efforts of several Zionist organizations ("Zionism is the movement for the self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, the land of Israel." - ADL), recognized the need for the Jewish people to have their own Jewish state, after centuries of demonization, slaughter, and diaspora. Thousands of Jewish refugees came to this newly created state of Israel in order to rebuild their lives after being decimated. The Arabs living in Israel were welcome to stay, although many of them did not want to The surrounding Arab countries forced them into what we now call Gaza, with the promise that they would get the land "back" from the Jews. Several wars ensued, all of them started by the large Arab countries surrounding Israel, in an attempt to drive Jews out of Israel. In every war, the Israelis prevailed, thus creating more hatred from the surrounding Arab nations. Additionally, for the past 76 years, terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbolah have continued to launch rockets, roadside bombs, and sniper fire against innocent Israeli civilians. In an attempt to crack down on this terrorism, several decades of "occupation" of Gaza followed in an attempt to prevent the more violent factions from hurting innocent Jews.
Israel has not occupied Gaza since 2005 and the Palestinian people elected their leaders. The Palestinian people are as free as they can be, under the control of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. At this point, Israel provides free food, water, electricity and medical aid to Gaza, and tens of thousands of Palestinians come into Israel every day to work. Additionally, 30% of Israel's population is Arab and there are Arab Muslims in the Israeli government.
“Free Palestine” means to eradicate Jews and the entity known as Israel and to make it an Arab land. And the proponents of this mean to do it by any means necessary, as stated clearly in the Hamas charter. Activists now use misinformation and create hate for the Jewish people in an attempt to further their cause.