Meta’s Oversight Board found that the phrase, “From the River to the Sea,” is not considered hate speech.
The decision is related to three separate cases on Facebook where the phrase was reported for violating Facebook’s hate speech policies. The social media platform did not remove the posts.
“Specifically, the three pieces of content contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians – but no language calling for violence or exclusion. They also do not glorify or even refer to Hamas, an organization designated as dangerous by Meta,” the ruling says.
“The Board finds there is no indication that the comment or the two posts broke Meta’s Hate Speech rules because they do not attack Jewish or Israeli people with calls for violence or exclusion, nor do they attack a concept or institution associated with a protected characteristic that could lead to imminent violence,” it explains.
According to the decision, the phrase lacks a “single meaning.” Because of this, a “blanket ban on content that includes the phrase, a default rule towards removal of such content, or even using it as a signal to trigger enforcement or review, would hinder protected political speech in unacceptable ways.”
“Meta is aware that the phrase is not linked exclusively to Hamas and, furthermore, none of the three pieces of content in this case bundle suggest support for Hamas or glorifies the organization,” Meta said in a statement.
The Anti-Defamation League condemned the decision: “‘From the river to the sea’ is an antisemitic charge denying the Jewish people’s right to self-determination. This rallying cry, enshrined in the charter of Hamas, has long been used by anti-Israel voices, including supporters of terrorist orgs like Hamas and PFLP, which seek Israel’s destruction through violent means.”
The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) also condemned the ruling. “’From the River to the Sea’ is a slogan created with the sole vision of destroying the national homeland of the Jewish people,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman said. “It is genocidal in intent and meaning, and is not a legitimate political or ideological vision, because it targets the one Jewish state and its inhabitants for destruction.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy organization, celebrated the decision.
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said, “We appreciate Meta recognizing that the Jewish, Palestinian and other activists who sometimes use this phrase as their way of advocating for Israelis and Palestinians to live together in one state with equal rights are not engaging in hate speech. This stands in stark contrast the official position of the Likud Party and the Israeli government, which calls for a permanent state of occupation and subjugation ‘from the river to the sea’ in its official platform. It is essential that Meta also take action to ensure that voices opposing the genocide in Gaza are not being unjustly censored or banned.”