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 neutral description of the disputed Palestinian territory - from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. It has been used by organisations from the PLO to Israel’s Likud.
Censoring the use of the phrase will not reduce harm, it will stifle discussion and debate of the Israel/Palestine conflict and chill free speech for all parties.
The phrase 'From the river to the sea Palestine will be free' is not anti-Semitic, nor has it ever been so. It calls for freedom to be extended to all those who reside in the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, whatever their racial or religious identity. It does not threaten the life of anyone; it is a plea for the human rights guaranteed to everyone by the United Nations to be given to all people living in the 'Holy Land', be they Muslim, Jewish, Christian or any other faith or no faith at all.
Palestinian people are repressed and denied human rights that would be expected in a developed country such as Israel. This rallying call expresses Palestinans' heartfelt desire to be liberated. This rallying call makes no reference to the circumstances under which Palestinian people are oppressed, so it is impossible to find any reference to peoples or races such as being imputed by the Zionists who object to this rallying call. Consequently this rallying call is beyond reproach.
If one may draw a parallel: does any people object to the British national anthem which describes Britain ruling the waves, effectively advocating for dominion over other people? It might appear that the British national anthem is less valid than "From the river to the sea...".
So ban both the British national anthem and this Palestinian rallying call.... Or leave be.
JNP statement re ‘From the river to the sea’: an anti-racist slogan.
Protests against Israel have been popularising the slogan, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’. This refers to all of historic Palestine, as it was called under the British Mandate. The entire territory has been subjected to a racist settler-colonial apartheid regime. This regime has perverted Judaism into a racist supremacist ideology, analogous to white supremacy.
Palestinians have no rights or weaker rights than Israelis. Gaza has been under Israeli siege since 2007, turning the territory into the world’s largest open-air prison; it has increasingly become a concentration camp, and then a genocide zone since early October. In the West Bank, their land is systematically stolen by Jewish settlers, who are aided and abetted by Israel’s army and police. In Occupied East Jerusalem, Palestinians have no citizenship, but are granted Permanent Residence Status, which can be rescinded anytime by Israel. Their homes are stolen by settlers, who obtain legal cover from the Israeli Supreme Court. Within 1948 Israel, Palestinians are second class citizens, with lesser rights than Jewish Israelis. According to Israel’s Basic Law, ‘national self-determination is solely for the Jewish people’, thus embedding the second-class nature of Palestinian citizenship.
Towards the necessary remedy, the slogan ‘From the river to the sea’ demands that all Palestinians in historic Palestine be free and equal citizens. This would require decolonizing the settler-colonial regime. Palestinians should be ‘neither dominated by others nor dominating them’, argues the Palestinian-American writer Yousef Munayyer, https://jewishcurrents.org/what-does-from-the-river-to...
The slogan has a long history, with deployment by the colonised and colonizer. On one side, in the 1960s the Palestine Liberation Organization declared its aim to establish a single democratic state throughout historic Palestine between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea. On the other side, according to the 1977 platform of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, https://www.independent.co.uk/.../andy-mcdonald-downing... "between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty”. This made explicit what has often been implicit in Israeli strategy.
When used by pro-Palestinian forces, the slogan has come under attack by British politicians. According to the Home Secretary, it may be terrorist or antisemitic, on grounds that it advocates the destruction of Israel. The Prime Minister attacked the slogan as ‘deeply offensive’ to many people. Skills Minister Robert Halfon said that it is ‘horrific, scary and frightening for Jewish people’.
Indeed, the slogan may be offensive or frightening to some Jews who support Israel as a Jewish supremacist regime. By contrast, many other Jewish people oppose the regime. To call the slogan antisemitic is to stereotype all Jews as pro-Israel. This can lead people to blame all Jews for Israel’s crimes, thus encouraging antisemitism in the name of supposedly countering it. In sum, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” does not encourage hatred or violence; rather, it demands democracy and equal rights for all.
The saying "from the River to the Sea Palestine will be free" means that Israel must be destroyed and its Jewish population either exterminated or exiled. This is rank antisemitism and shouldn't be tolerated under the guise of free speech. It doesn't represent a difference in political opinion, but a direct call for a second Jewish genocide.
I'd like to express my gratitude to the Oversight Board and Meta for providing me with the opportunity to share my thoughts on this issue. As a Jewish medical student in the United States, formerly an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, I feel compelled to share my experiences regarding the phrase "From the River to the Sea..."
During my time at UC Berkeley, I frequently encountered various protests, including those labeled as "Pro-Palestinian." Initially, I naively assumed these protests weren't inherently anti-Israel, believing in advocating for the rights of both Palestinians and Israelis. However, this assumption was shattered by a disturbing incident.
During one fateful day, these protestors were blocking Sather Gate in Upper Sproul, a center of campus in many regards. While in most cases, I would simply navigate the dirt trail and bridge around Sather Gate, this particular day I could not as I was on crutches from a sports injury. I knew I would have to ask to move through the gate.
When I approached the gate, I asked if I would be able to move through the gate as I could not go around. I was initially ignored. I said "excuse me" again, and indicated I couldn't easily get down the alternative path. A woman, whose face was covered by a mask, proceeded to call over a much taller member of the protestors. She yelled "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!" The taller man approached me, he grabbed my shirt and threw me off balance. The chant continued, "From the River to the Sea...". I could not ask for help picking up my crutches. The sound drowned out my voice. I did not make it to class that day.
This year, prior to October 7th, I began wearing a Star of David necklace. My culture has become more important to me since college. On one evening, I was out with a friend. Someone I have known for years, and one who happens to be Muslim as well. The truth is, we have never discussed Israel together. There is a hesitancy I feel, one in which we know we will disagree with each other about the nature of Israel's very existence, and so we do not discuss it at all in order to preserve an otherwise healthy friendship.
As we were walking down the street, I noticed something I would have never thought I'd see in person: the man on the opposite side of the street, wearing a shirt with a swastika and SS bolts. I pointed it out to my friend. I did something I might not have done in retrospect: I yelled to the man across the street "What the hell are you wearing that for?" I admit this was not my wisest decision, and rather one fueled by emotions. The man begins to cross the street. My hand reaches for my phone, ready to dial the police. Half-way across, I think he notices my necklace. He yells "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free, Kike." Hand still on my phone, he turns around laughing. He says something about Jews and 'their' power. I don't remember what it was exactly. I remember that I felt drowned out, again, this time by one man. Here is a man, fully displaying apparel with Nazi logos and ideology, calling me a slur and telling an American Jew that Palestine will "be free," from me and my people. My friend, at the time, said nothing to me. He did not ask if I was alright. Sometimes, I wonder if he had only disagreed with his apparel, not seeing the apparent connection between the man's appearance and his words.
I sympathize with the Palestinians. I sympathize with the fact that Netanyahu and his government did not approach October 7th the way I would have liked.
While I sympathize with the plight of Palestinians, I cannot condone the use of this phrase, which has been repeatedly weaponized to intimidate and marginalize Jewish individuals like myself. I have found in my personal experience that those who say this phrase imply that the only way Palestinians will "be free" is for there to be no more Jews, no more Israelis.
If this is not hate speech, I don't know what is.
I firmly believe that fostering genuine empathy for Palestinians should not come at the expense of denying Jewish rights and existence. Advocating for Palestinian rights does not necessitate the destruction of Jewish identity or Israel's right to exist. The notion that our causes are mutually exclusive is flawed and dangerous.
I urge careful consideration of the real-life implications of this phrase and its use as a tool of hate speech. It does not promote peace or stability for Palestinians but rather advocates for the annihilation of an entire group of people. We must reject such rhetoric and strive for a future where both Palestinians and Israelis can coexist in dignity and security.
The comment - from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free ‘ totally negates a two state solution as offered many times by Israel. It speaks only to a Palestinian state in which Jews are not accepted. By speaking this slogan it is asking for the end of Israel and annihilation of the Jews.
In 1948 and many times since a 2-state solution has been offered time and time again to Palestinians and always refused. Their aim is not peace or a state but no Jewish state. The Palestinian authority banned use of this slogan, recognising it was not a call for peace.
Every single person using it is calling to eliminate Israel.
It must be banned
"From river to the sea" is an expression that implies that all Jews in that area should be gone, or will be gone. That is why I think it should be taken off from Facebook - it is an incitement to clear out an area of a specific group. I would react the same if it was an expression affirming that any area should be cleared of any group. Thank you for your attention.
When Jewish settlement commenced in Palstine,encouraged by the UK's Balfour Declaration,the country extended from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean sea.The Zionists in Israel intend that their Jewish state will extend from the river to the sea.The Palestinians who were forced after 1947 to remain in a much reduced territory,frequently invaded and occupied by the Israeli Defence Force, are demanding the restoration of some of the land of Palestine which
they expect to be bounded by the Jordan River and the sea.
This why they have adopted the slogan 'from the river to the sea'.There is nothing racist or antisemitic about it and anti Zionism does NOT equate with Anti semitism and I say that as Jew.
Antisemitism in every form must be stopped. Social media has played the main key role in allowing individuals to promote hatred, protests, comments and violence. A responsible social media platform should be disallowing hatred and antisemitic COMMENTS.
As John Lennon said "imagine no religion" which is where so much of this hatred is directed and instead, "give peace a chance!"
Promoting antisemitism and hatred will never allow for peace.
“From the river to the sea” is not a call for freedom - it is a call for Jewish extermination. The chant calls for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a direct call for the State of Israel to be demolished. Those are the facts of what the slogan means. If you allow this phrase to be used on Facebook, do it in the full knowledge that this is what you’re endorsing.
Stop the hate!
I grew up learning this was the phrase used by terrorists for their desire to kill all the Jewish people living in Israel. I believe it should be removed as hate speech.
"From the river to the see .... " calls for the annihilation of the Israeli state and rids all Jews of their promised land. Promised by G-D to Abraham , Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Joshua on multiple occasions as documented in the Bible.
It calls for annihilation of the Jews , the rightful people of the Jewish state - Israel.
It is anti semitic, baseless hatred, and a crime against humanity to call for the wiping out of an entire people who occupy their land.
“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. It is imperative that Meta’s Oversight Board take a firm stance against the propagation of harmful rhetoric that seeks to delegitimize and demonize Israel. It violates Meta's rules against hate speech.
Now is our opportunity to ensure that Meta upholds its responsibility to combat antisemitism on its platform.
"From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free" is a call to genocide, expressing the desire for Israel and Jews to be eliminated from all the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. It is clear and obvious hate speech! There is nothing ambiguous about the intent of these comments.
I strongly encourage Meta to scrutinize and prevent speech that contains the phrase “from the river to the sea” as it is hateful towards Jewish and Israeli people, it intends to imply that Israel should be wiped out and replaced by a Palestinian state. It rejects Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation and closes the door for any peaceful negotiation. The phrase is used in rallies against Israel and the Jewish people to raise the temperature and tempt violence, “protesters” don’t even understand what it entails (genocide of the Israeli people of all faiths) let alone the geography of it and is used by organizers to manipulate their own crowd through repeating chants.
Meta’s social media properties would benefit from less vitriol and more constructive interactions.
Thank you for opening this public review
מהנהר לים זה משפט שמעודד טרור ומסית לשינאה מיותרת. מהנהר לים אומר שלישראל אין זכות קיום