Meta’s Oversight Board ruled on Wednesday that the standalone use of the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” a slogan oft-used by pro-Palestinian users, does not violate the company’s content policies.
The phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” has been used as a rallying cry for many since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, with Israel accusing those who use it of “anti-Semitism.”
The independent Meta board is the top authority in Meta’s content moderation decisions. It reviewed three cases involving Facebook posts containing the controversial phrase, which has gained prominence due to the conflict and the worldwide protests against it.
The board found that the content did not break Meta’s rules on hate speech, violence and incitement, or dangerous organizations and individuals, and should not lead to post removal on its platforms.
“In upholding Meta’s decisions to keep up the content, the majority of the Board notes the phrase has multiple meanings and is used by people in various ways and with different intentions,” it said.
“Specifically, the three pieces of content contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians –- but no language calling for violence or exclusion,” it added.
The phrase “From the River to the Sea” refers to the geographical area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which encompasses Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.
It is often used in support of Palestinians as a call for self-determination and equal rights, or to advocate for a one-state solution to the conflict with Jews and Palestinians as citizens of the same nation.
Many Israelis and Jews, however, interpret the phrase as a call for the violent elimination of Israel as a Jewish state.
The board said that a minority of board members felt that given armed group Hamas’s October 7 attacks that sparked the war, the phrase’s use in a post should be presumed to constitute glorification of the group and violence “unless there are clear signals to the contrary.”
