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
Any attempt to pretend this slogan is about general freedom rather than the expulsion and/or murder of Jews ignores its historical background and actual usage by recognized terrorists. The original Arabic chant is "from the water to the water, Palestine will remain Arab" - that is, Jews will not be a part of it. Saddam Hussein said, "Palestine is Arab and must be liberated from the river to the sea and all the Zionists who emigrated to the Palestine must leave." Osama bin Laden said, "we shall not respect the international charters which recognize the Zionist entity on the soil of Palestine...it is Jihad to liberate all of Palestine from the river to the sea, Allah permitting, placing our hands in the hands of the truthful Mujahideen there...so blood for blood and destruction for destruction." Shiite scholar M. Da'ud describes a messianic era when "Jerusalem is Arab Muslim and Palestine - all of it, from the river to the sea - is Arab Muslim, and there is no place in it for any who depart from peace or from Islam, other than those who submit to those standing under the rule of Islam. They will have to pay the jizya if they wish peace or life under the shadow of Islam." Terrorist organization Hamas, which openly vows to kill Jews and destroy Israel, uses the phrase as well. Almost no Jews live in Muslim countries today since they fled or were expelled and cannot live safely there. It's a fantasy to believe that a Muslim-controlled Palestine would be any different. Instead, replacing Israel with another Muslim country would simply mean the expulsion or, in all likelihood, genocide of the millions of Jews who live there currently, just as Hamas attempted on 10/7/23. Just because the phrase does not spell out its call for murder does not give it a pass. (sources: https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2021/06/of-course-from-river-to-sea-always.html)
“From the river to the sea” is an inherently hateful phrase that explicitly calls for ethnically cleansing all Jews from our indigenous homeland in Israel. It is an explicitly meant to incite violence, and it is hate speech.
The phrase actually originates from the First Intifada (1987-1993), a time of extreme Palestinian violence towards Israeli Jews and Palestinians who worked in Israel or who were suspected of being friendly to Israel. Variations of the phrase in Arabic from the late 1980s onwards include: “min al-mayyeh li-mayyeh, Filastin ‘arabiyyeh” (from the [river] water to the [sea] water / Palestine is Arab) and “Filastin Islamiyyeh / min al-nahr ila al-bahr” (Palestine is Islamic / from the river to the sea”).
These are explicit calls for the removal of all Jews (as well as non-Arabs and non-Muslims) from Israel. That is genocidal intent. The phrase “from the river to the sea” absolutely is hate speech; it shouldn’t be allowed on your platforms and accounts that use this phrase should be sanctioned or banned.
This chant is not only explicitly racist but also quite clearly genocidal.
It should be excised from polite discourse along with the sympathies that engender it.
When we see the genocide being perpetrated by the Zionist regime, the US funding these crimes, media coverage blatantly biased toward Israel, police departments attacking student protests and encampments, why is it an issue that people support Palestinians? Do they not have the same human rights as the rest of the world? Why is a phrase asking for the liberation of Palestinians such a threat to their oppressors? Why is this even a topic of discussion? Shouldn’t we all be on the side of humanity and against genocide?
The saying "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" is actually a call for the destruction of Israel, since Israel is the one located between the river and the sea!
Palastinians Arabs are leaving freelly in Israel, along with Jews, Christians, Bedouins, Druse and more....they do not need to free anything.
The ones who are calling to free palestine are the people in Gaza and west bank that are controlled and affected by terror groups and organizations...
It was also heard lately that people say it with adding at the end "from Jews". Clearly this is races.
As an American jew, the phrase "from the river to the sea" implies the erasure of the state of Israel and a rejection of Jewish indigenous identity to the land of Israel. I find it deeply offensive and depending on context believe it could also be antisemitic. It's one thing to criticize a government, it's another to delegitimize an entire people. That's why I feel like this phrase does. It says "you're invalid, you don't belong, we're going to wipe you off the map".
River to the sea- has been adopted by ignorant clueless people who have no understanding of history, geography or any human state of the people of the world
Our western democracy should start raising their bar on any abduction of free speech by foreign dangerous dictatorships based on Islamic religion supported by oil money we encouraged
If we don’t stop mob chanting and use of democracy to ruin it systematically
The west will start looking more like Afganistan Taliban nation or Iran
Not great for women, minorities, transgenders, gay or anyone thinking the want freedom of expression or speech- watch your chanting
Be realistic and know your world deeper…..
West- be alert, not naive
The phrase in question “From the River to the Sea,” unlike other phrases, has multiple meanings depending on context. For example, I’ve heard the phrase used in a purely descriptive sense to describe ANY chunk of land, country, state, object, person, or animal that happens to be situated between “a river” and “a sea.” Alternatively, I’ve heard the expression used more specifically to refer to the location of both Israel and of Palestine by both Israelis and by Palestinians. So, unlike the Swastika symbol, for example, it has no definite meaning independent of context, and even WITHIN a definite context its meaning is vague and ambiguous. Any rule banning its use would therefore be both meaningless and unenforceable.
From the River to the sea calls for the elimination of the Jewish people. It fits into the category of hate speech, it incites violence and has no place on any platform. If it was about black people, hispanics, arabs, Chinese, the LGBT etc community it wouldn’t be published but because it’s the Jews no one gives a damn. The fundamentalists always start with the Jews and then you are next…
Say NO to hate speech please
Comments that include the statement ‘From the river to the sea’ and many others that are not being censored should definitely be. This calls for a genocide of the eppel mainly Jews in Israel being killed. Everyone knows it and that’s what it’s said over and over.
Hello Dear Board Members ,
this is so offensive to call from the river to the sea the meaning is at “clear words” , “all the jews go out from your land” , please imagine if you an american citizen and some protesters will start calling you Free “xxxx” from New york to California.. ”xxxx “ will be free !!!
it that will be ok?? just imagine close your eyes and try to imagine if some one will call you out “Ground Zero will be free again .. is that ok ?? no !! no !! it is not ! because it is make the american citizen to be so so offended .. exactly as i am offended when some one says “from the river to the sea…”
i am a jew, and i am proud of my country , we just want to live a normal life without war.. but seems to be that some terrorists think they can eliminate us.. so i say to them no !
I support keeping the post as is. The phrase from the river to the sea is a call to have all people from different backgrounds and religions and ethnicities to live together in peace in historical Palestine or if you wish to call it Israel. It is well established that the current political regime in historical Palestine or Israel is an apartheid regime that suppresses people of non-Jewish background, this call is a call to free everyone who lives in that area and to enjoy equal rights.
המשפט הזה ״מהנהר עד לים״ מבטה רצון להשמיד ואו לגרש 9 מיליון אזרחים שגרים בישראל
כאזרח שאוהב אנשים, חייבים למגר את התופעה הזאת!
זה משפט שנאה ואנטישמי!
"From the river to the sea" is ABSOLUTELY a phrase that means the elimination of Israel and its replacement -- in totality, not just in the West Bank and Gaza -- by an Arab, Muslim majority state. Let me be clear. I am not opposed to, or bigoted against, Arab or Muslim states. But there are many in that region; and there is only one, tiny Jewish state -- Israel. What happens to the Jews in present-day Israel if Israel is eliminated? The history of how pretty much every Arab and Muslim middle eastern country's treatment of Jews over the past 80 years -- expulsions, persecutions, and worse -- does not give much hope that this phrase, if brought to fruition, would mean the elimination of Jews. Thus, it is hate speech and encourages genocide.
This is associated with the false idea that Israel is a settler colonial state. Israel, instead, is a refugee state. There is NOWHERE else for the Jewish people in Israel to go. NOWHERE. And the Palestinian Arabs could have had their own state multiple times over the past 76 years, beginning in 1948. Each time, they rejected the opportunity; and each time, that was because they didn't just want their own state side by side with Israel. They wanted to eliminate Israel, and take ALL the land; which, as I said before, would mean that all of Israel's Jews would be facing persecution, expulsion, or death. Please, please, please understand the intent and meaning of the phrase "from the river to the sea." It does NOT mean what the people excusing it now say that it means.
One last thing to illustrate my point. Decades ago, I was involved in some leftist groups (I still consider myself progressive.) During a large cultural-exchange group trip to Cuba, there was a night when different groups (ethnic, gender, national, etc.) presented skits and songs about their lives and experiences. My heart sank when I heard the last stanza of a song sung by the pro-Palestinian group: "Into Israel we'll go, and strike the mortal blow.' Does that not indicate a desire to eliminate Jews?
From the river to the sea is hate speech. It denies the right to exist and calls for the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel, the murder and genocide of the Jewish people. It is a call for a second Holocaust of the Jews. It is hateful antisemitism.
The phrase‘from the river to the sea’ is bringing us back to 1939. The time when antisemitism has started to rise and blossom and the rest of the world has been silent. It means clearing and deleting the only Jewish state in the world and Facebook must not to be part of it!
I encourage Meta not to allow the use of the phrase “From the river to the sea”.
While freedom of speech is a cornerstone of American society, it's not absolute! The US State Department, referencing the IHRA definition, recognizes "From the river to the sea" as a form of antisemitism and call for genoside. This phrase, promotes the elimination of Israel, the nation of the Jewish people. Therefore, allowing such speech on Meta platforms can be seen as promoting hate speech and potentially inciting violence against Jewish people. Meta, as a responsible platform, should take a stand against antisemitism and prohibit the use of this phrase.
This phrase is incredibly anti-Semitic. It is a call used by Hamas to wipe the Jewish people out- by eliminating their presence from the state of Israel. Please understand that use of this phrase is not ok.
This phrase, no matter what world language it is spoken in, is a direct call for destruction and genocide of the Jewish people! this phrase/sentence is an outpouring of unfounded hatred towards the Jewish people. This is disgusting and not acceptable in the 21st century!
זו התבטאות אלימה ,ולא תמימה , דיבור מביא למעשה , יש לאסור שימוש בביטוי זה