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 genocide and ethnic cleanse
הביטוי from the river to the sea משמעותו השמדת מדינת ישראל ורצח 10 מיליון בני אדם.
ביטוי של שנאה טהורה
לכן נכון מאד לאסור את השימוש בו.
בברכה
אילן
From the river to the sea is a call for the annihilation of the state of Israel. It is as simple as that. No context required, no complicated excuses or explanations. It is simply a call to destroy the state.
This expiration basically means the the want to kill us all, or expel us from our land/country
"From the river to the sea" is a call for genocide against Jews
The term "From the river to the sea" means from the Jordan river to the mediterranean sea. This covers the whole area of the state of Israel. Therefore, its plain and unequivocal meaning is the total eradication of the state of Israel and extermination of all its Jewish inhabitants. This is a term of pure hatred and a call for genicide.
As such, posts that include this term must be forbidden.
השימוש בביטוי מהים עד הנהר הוא הסתה להשמדת מדינת ישראל.
הביטוי משמש בהפגנות נגד ישראל שונאי ישראל,שרוצים בהשמדתה משתמשים בו. הם מסיתים להשתלטות ערבית על השטחים בץמן הים עד הנהר המשמעות הדבר חיסול מדינת ישראל , מדינה שאושרה באום כחוק . זאת לטובת מדינה פלסטינית שאינה קיימת ולא מוכרת בעולם.
The call “from the river to the sea”, calls for the genocide of the Jewish people and I am against it!
We have to face the hard truth: the phrase "from the river to the sea palestine will be free" meaning is "Destroy Israel country, kill all the jews, then maybe establish Arab country instead". This racist offensive phrase should be forbidden for use
This phrase has a genocidal meaning calling for the ethnic cleansing of Jews. It should be banned from all streets, schools as well as social media!!
Tolerance means that you can tolerate even if its not according to your wishes dreams or vision
Even if you are pro Palestinians, you should have use the following: from the river to the sea both states will leave free .
This phrase is used to call for the end of the state of Israel. Its use is encouraged in ignorant population who do not realise what they are calling for! Not knowing which river and which sea they are talking about.
I am a proud Jewish Israeli, and we are here to stay!
I resent calling for ending my existance in my home!!
We have a great and peaceful country, and use if any phrase that is meant to eliminate it, should be banned!
#BringThemHomeNow!!!
This saying calls for the elimination of the state of Israel and de facto for genocide of the Jewish people in this land. Allowing it is like allowing to call for murder and the death of my family and myself. Pleas stop the spreading of this horrible hateful "slogan"
This frase from the river to the sea palestine will be free calls for genoside of all the jews and I think it shouldn't be used
I strongly support. This statement excludes the existence of the state of Israel
As a jew living in Israel, that statement is synonymous to a call for genocide.
The singing, writing, commenting and chanting "from the river to the sea", has a political agenda behind it.
It's sole purpose is to eliminate the existing of the Israeli state.
The charters have proven their ignorance to the subject, ununderstandably not knowing which river and wich sea. Some of the people wring the words say it cause it is cool, however they do not understand the implications and devestation that the action of these words have and will have in the future.
"From the River to the Sea" is a blatant genocidal call for the destruction of Israel - the only Jewish country in the world. It should be banned everywhere!
From the river to the sea means there will be no more the state of Israel. this is a call for an ethnicity genocide and it is so hates
We should never allow the use of these words
From the river to the sea is a genocidal statement. It suggests that the land of Israel (which sits between the Jordan and the Mediterranean sea) should be free of Jews. It is the "final solution" completed. Get rid of the Jews, or the State of Israel, and make room for the Palestinians. There is no suggestion here of co-existence, of peace, of acceptance of the other. It is a delegitimization of the State of Israel and its right to exist, it is dehumanization (implying that it is justified to commit genocide for whatever reasons), and a double standard (this slogan would be unacceptable in any other context or applied to any other people or nation). It is a chant the implies the destruction of one people for the benefit of another is not only OK but necessary. It is hateful and dangerous.