Meta’s Oversight Board rules that ‘from the river to the sea’ is not necessarily hate speech

Al Jazeera

‘From the river to the sea’ doesn’t violate Meta rules: Oversight panel

Washington Post

Meta content court rules ‘from the river to the sea’ isn’t hate speech

Guardian

Meta’s moderation board backs decision to allow ‘from the river to the sea’ in posts

Verge

Meta shouldn’t remove ‘from the river to the sea’ as hate speech, says Oversight Board

‘From the River to the Sea’ is not hate speech, Meta’s Oversight Board rules

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Rajan Menon

Barbara Slavin

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Bashir Saade

Michael DiMino

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Arash Reisinezhad

Gary Samore

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Metaculus

"Tehran will not send its military into the war zone to help Hamas."

"There are good reasons to believe that Iran has decided not to enter the conflict directly."

"The likelihood of an expanded regional war... is low."

"[T]he risk of direct US involvement in the [Israel-Hamas war]... is higher than most people realize."

Despite no country wanting a regional conflict, "each country acts in such a way that exponentially increases its likelihood."

"[D]evelopments on the ground have the potential to escalate quickly, making the unthinkable [a major Middle East war] unavoidable."

The Israel-Hamas war "raises the very real risk of a catastrophic regional conflagration."

"[T]he risk of an expansion of this conflict is real, very, very real and extremely dangerous."

“Due to the expansion of the intensity of the war against Gaza’s civilian residents, expansion of the scope of the war has become inevitable.”

“Everything is in place for a cascading series of events that will culminate in Israel attacking Iran.”

Will the Israel-Gaza War Lead to Regional Escalation?

A Meta-funded oversight body on Wednesday ruled that the pro-Palestinian phrase "from the river to the sea" is acceptable speech and hence doesn't violate the company's hate speech policies.

The panel reviewed three posts and noted that "the phrase has multiple meanings," adding the said posts "contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians — but no language calling for violence."

However, a minority of the Meta panel reportedly believed that the phrase ought to be deemed as glorifying Hamas, a banned entity, since it appears in its 2017 charter.

Critics have often alleged that the phrase, which refers to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, calls for the elimination of the state of Israel.

In a blog post, Meta, which prohibits "glorification…of various dangerous organizations and individuals," said the phrase "is not linked exclusively to Hamas."

Transparency Center

The Meta panel had received over 2.3K submitted comments related to the three posts. One of the three posts it reviewed had about 8M views.

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A Meta-funded oversight body Wednesday ruled that the controversial Palestinian nationalistic rallying cry “from the river to the sea” is acceptable speech.

Washington Post #5052

The panel reportedly reviewed three posts and said "the phrase has multiple meanings" and the posts "contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians."

Al Jazeera #3446

A minority of the Meta panel reportedly believed that the phrase ought to be deemed as glorifying a banned entity since it appears in its 2017 charter.

Guardian #3323

Critics have often alleged that the chant, referring to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, calls for the erasure of the state of Israel.

CNN #

In a blog post, Meta, which prohibits “glorification…of various dangerous organizations and individuals," said the chant "is not linked exclusively to Hamas."

Transparency Center #

The Meta panel reportedly received over 2,300 submissions related to the three posts. This was the second-largest number it had ever received for a case.

NBC #5278

The phrase "From the river to the sea" 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. It beckons all people, regardless of faith or ethnicity, to live as equal citizens. Rather than being restricted, this slogan should be understood in its full context as an expression of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination and a peaceful coexistence in a land that has deep meaning for multiple communities.

Middle East Eye

Middle East Eye #

Israel-Palestine war: Reclaiming the slogan 'from the river to the sea'

The chant "From the river to the sea" should be shunned due to its ambiguous and potentially harmful connotations for Israel. This ambiguity makes the phrase easily misinterpreted and allows critics to accuse well-meaning protesters of supporting antisemitism or genocide. Given the current sensitive 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.

Micah Lee

Micah Lee #

Why we shouldn't use the slogan "from the river to the sea"

There is a 17% chance that at least 500,000 Palestinians will be displaced from Gaza before Dec. 31, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Metaculus #

>500,000 Palestinians displaced?

The Israel-Palestine Conflict

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Meta Oversight Body Rules 'From River to Sea' Isn't Hate Speech

Israel

Palestine

Freedom of speech & expression

The pro-Palestine 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. Regardless of faith or ethnicity, it beckons everyone to live as equal citizens. 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.

Meta must block 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.

There's a 17% chance that at least 500K Palestinians will be displaced from Gaza before Dec. 31, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Meta Oversight Board: 'From River to Sea' Isn't Hate Speech

Meta Oversight BodyBoard: Rules 'From River to Sea' Isn't Hate Speech

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