Meta’s oversight board made a landmark decision, ruling that the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is not inherently hate speech. The slogan refers to the territory between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, which includes the Gaza Strip, the state of Israel and the West Bank.
Critics of the phrase argue it is antisemitic and said it advocates for the destruction of the state of Israel. Proponents argue it is a call for solidarity for Palestinian people.
Meta’s ruling allows the use of the phrase on Facebook and Instagram under certain conditions, highlighting the complex challenge of moderating political speech on social media platforms.
The platforms will allow the use of the phrase as long as it is not accompanied by violent language or calls for exclusion.
The board emphasized that it believes the phrase has multiple meanings and can express solidarity with Palestinians without necessarily attacking Jewish or Israeli people, based on an examination of three separate Facebook posts.
One of those posts contained the hashtag “from the river to the sea” along with emojis of the Palestinian flag.
Social media users filed complaints with Meta, however, the social media company kept the posts on Facebook.
That decision was then appealed to Meta’s board, which made the ultimate decision to allow the phrase to stay, but with limitations.
Usage of this slogan has surged on social media platforms since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza, intensifying the debate over its meaning and implications.
