Meta Oversight Board: 'From the River to the Sea' Not Hate Speech

Facts

• A Meta-funded oversight body on Wednesday ruled that the phrase 'from the river to the sea' — which supports Palestinian nationalism — is acceptable speech which doesn't violate the company's hate speech policies.^[1]
• The panel reviewed three posts and noted that 'the phrase has multiple meanings,' adding that the said posts 'contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians — but no language calling for violence.'^[2]
• However, a minority of the panel reportedly argued for it to find that the phrase glorified Hamas (a banned entity), since 'from the river to the sea' appears in the group's 2017 charter.^[3]
• Critics of the phrase, which refers to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, have alleged that it calls for the elimination of the state of Israel.^[4]
• In a blog post, Meta, which prohibits the 'glorification…of various dangerous organizations and individuals,' said the phrase 'is not linked exclusively to Hamas.'^[5]
• The Meta panel had received over 2.3K comments related to the three posts. One of the posts it reviewed had about 8M views.^[6]

Sources: ^[1]Washington Post, ^[2]Al Jazeera, ^[3]Guardian, ^[4]CNN, ^[5]Transparency Center and ^[6]NBC.

Narratives

• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. The phrase represents Palestinian aspirations for freedom and justice across their historical homeland. It's a call for liberation from oppression, not a threat to any group. Rather than being restricted, this slogan should be understood in its full context as an expression of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination and peaceful coexistence in a land with deep meaning for multiple communities.
• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Micah Lee. Meta must restrict this phrase due to its ambiguous and potentially harmful connotations for Israel, which makes the slogan easily misinterpreted and allows critics to accuse well-meaning protesters of supporting antisemitism or genocide. Given the current situation in Gaza, using such a contentious slogan distracts from the urgent need to address the humanitarian crisis. Instead, activists should opt for clearer, unambiguous language that explicitly opposes violence and supports human rights for all.

Predictions