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
Hello. I believe that the wave of anti-Semitism against the Jews that is currently passing through the world must be prevented. The Meta organization has social responsibility and an intention to do good. That is why I believe that slogans and phrases that harm Israel and the Jewish people should be banned and totally avoided. Terrorist organizations should not be allowed to dictate the level of morality in human society. Their spread ideology and the poison they spread must be prevented and avoided in every possible way. Meta can and should help with this. We need to save the youth from this poison.
The implication of the language is that everyone currently in the land between that river and sea will disappear - that is a lot of Jews, Christian, Muslims and others. Whether it means they leave, or die, either way it’s violent and should not be permitted.
To Meta Oversight Board,
I hereby submit my support to ban the use of the term 'From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free' as well as its alternate 'Israel's 75 year long occupation of Palestine' as both terms are historically and geographically inaccurate and incorrect, promote hate and bigotry, and are prejudicial against Jewish and Israeli rights, as well as their historical connection to Israel, as described below.
With regards to the term 'From the River to the Sea' I wish to point out that a large part of protestors against Israel, when asked which river and which sea, do not know the answer. The answer is of course the Jordan River to the east, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, which is the precise location of Israel. Hence the call 'From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free' negates the existence of Israel and advocates for the establishment of a state by the name of Palestine in its place, disregarding Jewish self determination rights, a right granted to all people; and the fact that Israel is a sovereign country, one of the only ones whose establishment was approved by the UN. As such, it promotes hate, bigotry and anti Semitism against Jews.
As for the term 'Israel's 75 year long occupation of Palestine', it too is historically incorrect, as well as legally, representing calls for the destruction of Israel in much the same way as the term 'From the River to the Sea'. The term is historically incorrect, as Israel's control of Gaza, West Bank and Jerusalem as well as the Golan Heights, only started in 1967 (meaning Gaza was only held for 38 years by Israel, and West Bank and East Jerusalem for 57 so far). Thus, the term 'Israel's 75 years of occupation of Palestine' can only relate to the territory of Israel proper, which is the only territory held by Israel for 75 years and is internationally recognized by the UN. It does not relate to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, as it essentially calls for the destruction of Israel, promoting hate and anti Semitism. The term is also not legally correct. In order to occupy, Israel must have conquered the land from another sovereign country in much the same way Russia does with the Ukraine today. As we all know, no Palestinian state ever existed prior to 1967, and the areas were held by Jordan and Egypt respectively. As such, West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem can be regarded as 'res nullius' at most (International law's term for 'lands with no owner', or lands with no claim), or if you will, disputed territories. It also disregards Jewish history and connection to the area which predates even the time when the Romans who conquered it from the Jewish kingdoms of Judea and Israel, named it 'Syria Palestina' for the firts time.
In summary, both terms 'From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free' and 'Israel's 75 year long occupation of Palestine' are historically, geographically and legally incorrect, promoting hate, bigotry and anti Semitism. They also deny Jewish historical connection to the land in a prejudicial and anti Semitic way. As such they should be banned in a widespread platfrom such as yours.
Should you have any questions regarding this comment, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Palestine, once a purely geographical concept, implying the territory from the Mediterranean Sea and beyond the Jordan River, including part of the territory of modern Jordan, has now acquired an exclusively political context. Now Palestine refers to the territories ceded to the Arabs by a UN decision in 1947. And the slogan “from the river to the sea...” implies expelling the Jews living in Israel anywhere and giving the lands of Israel to the Palestinian Arabs. Thus, the slogan “from the rever to the sea...” is anti-Jewish
“From the river to the sea” is a call for the eradication of Israel and its citizens and the establishment of an Arab state in Israel’s place that spans from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, the current boundaries of Israel. It is a clear call for the annihilation of Jews in Israel and the elimination of the only Jewish state in the world. It is unquestionably hate speech and incitement of violence.
From the river to the sea, is a short for the meaning of cleaning the area from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean sea from Jew.
As history shows, after the Holocaust Jews people look for place to go and they came to Israel and USA from Europe. Few years after rest of the Jews from Arabic countries in the middle east were banished with force. Also they escaped to Israel and USA.
Cleaning today the land of Israel from Jews is basically call for genocide or giving the citizenship for USA.
“From the River to the Sea Palestine Will be Free” is a term that means exactly what it says it means. The phrase infers that Palestine needs to be free of two things-Jews and “occupation“. In the former, it calls for genocide of the Jewish people from the Mediterranean through the Jordan River. In the latter, it assumes that Israel is an occupier in that entire region. According to the United Nations partition plan of 1948, the Jewish people were entitled to a homeland in this area. While the borders are debatable, The phrase above is offensive because it denies the Jewish people any home whatsoever.
All the publications that use the motto “from the river to the sea” as an antisemitism hymn inviting to the slaughter of all the Jews in general and specifically those who live in Israel must be removed from social media. It’s so dangerous to encourage such a violent campaign fueled by terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbola.
FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA is a euphemism to say destruction of Israel. I agree with the two states solution so I strongly reject the use of that words.
The slogan from the river to the sea implies promoting the disappearance of a state, the genocide of an entire people. It's a Nazi slogan
When people say from the river to the sea, the meaning is clear- all the Jews should be out of Israel. Israel is the only country of the Jews, we have no where else to go. This is our home and homeland. To say from the river to the sea it's anti-Semitic, race and very sad
The slogan sounds benign in English, but in Arabic, it implies ethnic cleansing - the removal of all Jews and the annihilation of Israel.
One should not be allowed to advocate for the destruction of Israel and the murder if all jews in Israel
It's used by anti-"Israel existence" protestors and campaigns, including terrorist groups such as Hamas, whose stated mission is to eliminate Israel through violent means.
It is a call for a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, which would mean the dismantling of the Jewish state. It antisemitic in that it denies the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland.
Demanding a Palestinian state or justice for Palestinians is not reflected in "from the river to the sea...": a phrase that ultimately suggests Israel, an intentional Jewish state in the Jewish ancestral homeland with archaeological records to boot, should cease to exist.
I have been a Jewish activist for Palestinian freedom for a decade now, and I refuse the framing of this phrase as antisemitic.
Firstly, no Palestinians in leadership or whom I have ever heard from in my years of studying the topic, have ever advocated for the removal of all Jews from Israel/Palestine, and still reminisce about when their grandparents lived peaceably with Jewish and Christian neighbors. Never have I experienced anything but a humbling level of graciousness in my interactions with Palestinians, contrasted to the threats and disgusting insults I invariably receive from Zionists.
Secondly, an identical phrase was used by the right-wing Israeli Likud party, who have clearly shown by their actions their intent to displace or exterminate Palestinians from their ancestral homes. Yet content clearly advocating exclusively Jewish dominion over the land *in the midst of an actual genocide*, as well as posts celebrating the carnage we’ve witnessed, are not being censored or policed by Meta platforms nearly as much as this call for freedom is.
I have been documenting the many times Meta has censored my posts and those of Palestinian journalists on the ground, as well as Palestinian influencers and educators. I have also noted how rarely my reports of hate speech towards Muslims, Palestinians, trans people and other marginalized groups are met with any action at all. The racism and Islamophobia inherent in these decisions is very apparent. Meta’s censorship policies and algorithm has been linked to spurring on the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar. People who are seeing a pattern here, including myself, will abandon these platforms if needed unless policies change and do so quickly.
The term “from the river to the sea” is antisemetic because it calls for destruction of Israel. It is a call to genocide of Israelis and should be taken down from all social media.
To anyone who knows the geography of the land of Israel, from the (Jordan) River to the (Mediterranean) sea encompasses all of it. When you say “will be free” it implies it will be free of Jewish people and that Israel will cease to exist, it will all become “Palestine.” When I ask others “what does Free Palestine” or “will be free” mean? Either they don’t answer or worse they say free of Jews, free of Israel. Considering more than half of the world Jews live in this region this is calling for a genocide of our people and the extermination of our roots. As a second generation Holocaust survivor this phrase is very triggering, hurtful, and upsetting. Anyone who wants peace and knows this is how the phrase is received should have no problem finding another way to express what they mean.
Hello,
The phrase indicated here means "Kill all Jews in Israel". The Arabic translation is even more specific.
The word "free" in this phrase means to "free of Jews", and not general freedom.
General freedom clearly exists today for all citizens of the democratic-liberal country of Israel living from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Medeterranian).
This phrase means murder for anyone who is not extreme Muslim, quite the opposite of freedom.
Please do not spread this message promoting killing me and my children!
Thank you