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 directly refers to clearing Jews and Israel completely from the region through the use of jihad. The statement is a direct call to violence and should not be allowed on Facebook.
In the wake of the October 7 massacre, antisemitism has reared its ugly head once again, particularly on social media platforms. Despite efforts to curb hate speech, disturbing posts promoting anti-Israel sentiments, such as the reprehensible slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free,” have proliferated. These posts are abhorrent attacks on Israel’s sovereignty and legitimacy. There is no counter-interpretation that is possible when one calls for the liberation of the entirety of a sovereign nation by its geographical boundaries. No other country or dispute is singled out like this, and is chanted and the rallying call of haters, antisemites and deniers of Israel's right to exist like any other country. This is nothing but unabridged antisemitism and hate speech. Like the attempted slaughter on October 7, 2023, these chants are an open call for the complete annihilation of the State of Israel and its citizens.
It is imperative that Meta’s Oversight Board takes a firm stance against the propagation of harmful rhetoric that seeks to delegitimize and demonize Israel.
Together, let us stand in solidarity against hatred and bigotry, and work towards a safer and more inclusive online community.
Bill and Cassy Gersten
Julie Ruben
Leigh Ruben
Elayne and Mika Petrovic
Floyd and Bonnie Baxter
I strongly believe that this slogan is not hate speech or an incitement of violence. Arguments to the contrary have not convinced me otherwise. Used in context, usually affixed with "Palestine will be free," it calls for the liberation and self-determination of Palestinians. In the circles I'm in, that is the overwhelming sentiment. The meaning can be used (e.g. by Hamas) with calls for a genocide against Israelis and Jewish people, but the widespread use of it is not nearly similar, nor can such cases justify a belief that the far wider conventional usage is antisemitic.
The phrase does not inherit calls to violence, because the poster may genuinely intend to call for freedom. It's contextual. Unfortunately this contextuality allows for bad actors to feign innocence, but that's a weak argument for a blanket ban on a phrase's usage. Like many other things, it's important to review an account's other posts and comments to infer malicious intent, or lack thereof.
"From the river to the sea" is part of an extremely contentious topic area between Israel and Palestine. Emotions are heightened, and people (occasionally understandably) are on edge and will perceive hostility where there is none.
This phrase is based on a slogan that calls for the elimination not only of Israel, but of all Jews, from the land. It is hateful rhetoric and lessens the public discourse on important political issues.
From the river to the sea is a call for the elimination of not just Israel but also all the Jews across the diaspora. It is anti-Semitic and dangerous.
Thanks for your consideration of banning the hateful phrase "from the river to the sea,” which has been interpreted by many as a call for the elimination of the State of Israel and its Jewish inhabitants.
This interpretation arises from the geographical implication of the phrase, which spans the entirety of the territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, areas comprising Israel and the Palestinian territories. The slogan is seen by some as suggesting that one state (Palestine) should replace the current state of Israel, which raises concerns of antisemitism and threats against the Jewish people.
In light of these interpretations, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on April 16, 2024, condemning the phrase as antisemitic. This decision was grounded in the recognition that such rhetoric potentially incites violence and fosters an environment of hatred and intolerance. The resolution reflects a bipartisan agreement on the importance of maintaining civil discourse and supporting peace initiatives that promote coexistence rather than conflict.
Banning this phrase aligns with efforts to foster a safer and more inclusive society by reducing inflammatory rhetoric that could potentially escalate tensions or endorse ethnic or national eradication. While advocating for free speech is crucial, it is equally important to ensure that such freedoms do not extend to incitement of violence or promotion of hatred against any group. The ban on this phrase is intended to uphold these principles, promoting a discourse that supports peaceful resolution and mutual respect among communities.
The Land of Palestine was invaded by zionist terrorists in 1948. The Nakba was carried out by zionist terrorists. Palestinians have a right to armed resistance to armed occupation and have a right to be free. The zionist colonial occupiers had no right to invade Palestine. Palestine will be free 'from the river to the sea' simply means, that the illegal occupation, zionist apartheid regime, terrorist massacres of Palestinians, ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, and plausible genocide, has to end. As in South Africa, white supremacy has to end and democracy must be reinstated to the people of Palestine in their own lands. The Palestinians I'm sure would welcome any peace loving people want to live in their country.
The phrase, "From the River to the Sea" is basically geographic, indicating the area of land between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. It is used both by Palestinians and Israelis and both have a right to use this phrase.
Unfortunately it is also used by Zionists who lay claim to all of this land for themselves and would be happy to see no Palestinian Arabs there at all.
There is nothing antisemitic about using this term though it may be anti-Zionist.
Please don't muzzle free speech.
I strongly object to all comments on "the river to the sea" being shared on your platform. This statement is a direct call to murder all the Jewish people living in the one and only Jewish State in the world, Israel. The river, being the Jordan River on the east of Israel, to the sea, the Mediteranean Sea on their west, therefore people who use this statement are calling for the complete annialtion, the genocide, of all the Jewish people, men, women, children who live in Israel .
Israel was mandated to the Jewish people in 1948, they have a legal right to live safely in their land.
The use of this hateful, inflammatory, antisemitic phrase should never be allowed on a public platform. It is a call to invite hatred, violence and mass murder of the Jewish people living in Israel and because it is openly antisemitic, is also applied to Jewish people wherever they live in the world.
As a platform, Facebook has the responsibility to disallow and block all posts that incite racial hatred, violence and murder.
Facebook is thus responsible for giving a platform for spreading inflammatory antisemitic hate speech which causes fear and harm to Jewish people worldwide.
I urge Facebook to act responsibly and act swiftly to stop the use of this phrase "from the river to the sea" on your platform. All hate speech should be blocked and removed immediately. I urge you to show responsible leadership in this matter.
Facebook should not be a space for hate driven political activism.
This chant is well known to be associated with Hamas and other terrorist organisations.
The implication of this phrase is that the State of Israel, and the Jewish people as a whole, should be wiped out.
It is insulting and inflammatory!
The fact that Palestine never actually existed is also a reason why this phrase shouldn't be used anyway but it was Yasser Arafat and other antagonists and terrorists who created the argument to Free a place that never existed historically, and create a nation of refugees with the sole purpose of maintaining instability in the area.
The fact that this phrase calls for the eradication of the only Jewish State in the entire world, and all the Jews, is enough of am argument to ban it's use.
From the river to the sea is not anti semitic. It calls for Palestinians to be free of the apartheid regime from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River, not subject to military rule, or to be treated as second class citizens within Israel.
My own organisation, the Israeli Committee against House Demolitions, calls for One Democratic State for Jews, Palestinians, Druze and other races to live in equality in a secular state. We were founded in Israel and are headed by the Jewish anthropologist, Dr Jeff Halper.
Incidentally, the Likud party in Israel calls for Jewish rule from the river to the sea. Is this anti semitic?
I urge you not to censor posts with this phrase, and limit free speech
As an American-Israeli now living in Israel, with constant terror attacks from outside and inside our borders, with friends, neighbors and fellow Israeli's daily suffering death and injury, with funerals daily, the disingenuous slogan, "From the River to the Sea" is clearly an inciting declaration of homicidal and actual genocidal intent to kill us. It is exactly the same as "Death to Israel", "Death to Jews". Please remove this call to our destruction from social media.
Palestine is internationally recognised as encompassing the West Bank in the east, which aligns the river Jordan, and the Gaza strip in the west, which is on the Mediterranean sea. How on earth, therefore, can a slogan such as "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free", that simply reflects this geography, be censored as either inaccurate or anti-jewish?!
The fact is that it is zionists who intend, and actively work to ensure, there will NEVER be ANY Palestinian state, rather than the Palestinians seeking Jewish erasure. These zionists seek the Palestinians' total subjugation, erasure, and/or displacement.
Israel claims to act in the name of all jews, calling itself the Jewish state, despite the fact that many jews themselves reject that assertion and conflation. Zionism is better understood as a supremacist settler-colonial nationalistic ideology, basing itself on the utterly wrongful notion that jews (worldwide) are a nation (in Israel there is no such thing as Israeli nationality, only Jewish nationality).
Palestinians as a collective are effectively either second-class citizens, and/or subjected to extensive and violent systems of control, occupation, land theft, displacement, and general mistreatment.
So Palestine, from the river to the sea, must also be free from zionism. Only then can Israel hope to become a country in keeping with its international human rights obligations.
'From the River to the Sea' is, like many slogans, loose in intention and interpretation. Perhaps some people do mean the unrealistic, unpeaceful goal of no more Israel; nationalist extremism cannot only be an Israeli attitude (it's contagious); yet the phrase is not in itself antisemitic, because it says nothing about or against Jews. Though a retort to the old Likud phrase, 'From the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, there will be Jewish sovereignty', it doesn't echo it. It doesn't speak of domination but of escape from domination. The Jewish state (back to 1967 borders, and withdrawing West Bank settlements) can co-exist, if it wants to, with a free Palestine, freed from all the injustices and violences occupation entails.
'Will be free' is vague. But we all know what it means, morally and politically. To censor such a universal aspiration as illegitimate would put Meta in horrible company.
This slogan urges the destruction of Israel. No other country in the world, no matter how vile its human rights record, has received such opprobrium. Moreover, the not-very-hidden subtext here is either the death or the forced expulsion of all Israeli Jews. This is clearly anti-semitic.
The phrase "from the river to the sea"i? is not anti semitic although those who say it is invariably are. We are currently witnessing a genocide perpetrated by a fascist, Apartheid state. The majority of the world's population stands with Palestine and its aspiration for freedom and justice. History will condemn those who oppose the Palestinian people's inalienable right to self determination, free of colonialist oppression.
I have been involved with supporting the Palestinians since 1982. I find the idea that "from the river to the sea" belongs to the Israelis and if used in support of the Palestinians can be said to be anti-semitic completely unacceptable. The Land between the river and the sea used to be Palestine and was settled over many centuries by Palestinians. The creation of Israel forced the Palestinians off much of this land. For a Palestinian to wish to return to this land is not anti-semitic. It is anti-Israeli. The repeated assertion that anti-Israeli = anti-semitic is utterly unacceptable. Racist. Islamaphobic.
"From the River to the Sea" is anti-semitic hate speech, because it advocates the elimination of the only state where Jews can live freely and defend themselves. (More than a million Arabs and thousands of Druze and other minorities live as citizens in Israel with full benefits as well.) Such anti-semitic hate speech is strongly connected with harassment of Jews in public places. It should not be condoned in the name of free speech any more than blatantly racist speech calling for the oppression of other minorities.
The expression 'from the river to the sea' has been in currency since the 1960s. I means for all people, Israelis and Palestinians to live free and equal.
It should be noted than many Israeli politicians use the term to deny Palestinians their freedom.
The founding charter of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party states: “Between the sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty.”
Banning this expression is just another attempt to ban objection and protest against Israel's crimes against humanity.