'From the river to the sea': Pro-Palestine slogan isn't hate speech, Meta board rules

Meta's Oversight Board on Wednesday ruled that the stand-alone pro-Palestinian phrase “from the river to the sea” does not break its rules regarding hate speech.

The independent body reviewed three cases in which the slogan was used on Facebook, with board members finding that because the posts did not pair the slogan with calls to attack, harm or exclude Jewish or Israeli communities, the phrase did not violate its content policies.

They added that the posts did not “attack a concept or institution associated with a protected characteristic that could lead to imminent violence”.

The Meta board ruled that content including the controversial phrase did not break rules on hate speech, violence and incitement, or those pertaining to dangerous organisations and individuals, and that the posts did not require removal from its platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp.

“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 in its brief.

“Specifically, the three pieces of content contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians – but no language calling for violence or exclusion.”

The slogan “from the river to the sea”, which refers to the geographical area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, has risen in usage over the past year since the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Palestinians and anti-war protesters have used the phrase in support of self-determination, human rights and freedoms for Palestine.

For some, the phrase is considered to be anti-Semitic or anti-Israel, seen as a call to expel Jewish people from the region.

The World Jewish Congress and the Anti-Defamation League on Wednesday said they were “disappointed” in the decision and rejected its “short-sighted” nature, stating that they regard the phrase as “inherently genocidal and anti-Semitic”.

At the same time, many Israelis and government leaders have used “from the river to the sea” to defend Israel's position in the region as well as in support of its actions in the Palestinian territories.

Some Palestinians view Israeli use of the phrase as a way to promote the evictions of families from their homes in the occupied territories.