Facebook’s independent oversight board is considering whether to designate the phrase “from the river to the sea” as hate speech Wednesday.
The phrase has long been a rallying cry for anti-Israel agitators and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The phrase calls for a Palestinian state that extends from the banks of the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, borders which by necessity would destroy the state of Israel, which is located in that space.
Facebook’s oversight board announced plans to take up the case on Wednesday, citing three instances of users reporting the phrase as supporting terrorism. In all three of those instances, Meta chose to take no action.
“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,” the board wrote.
“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,” it continued.
The board is now seeking public comment on the cases, saying it is open to arguments that Meta’s decision to take no action was incorrect.
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