Posting ‘from the river to the sea’ on Facebook does not always glorify Hamas and should be allowed to remain online, the social media giant has ruled.
Facebook’s oversight board, which includes the former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger, said the slogan should not be ‘automatically removed’ by Meta’s moderators.
The slogan is highly controversial with critics claiming it is antisemitic because it implies the destruction of the state of Israel.
‘From the river to the sea’ has been adopted by the Hamas terror group and is used in the group’s official charter.
But the panel said the phrase should not necessarily be understood as harmful, violent or discriminatory, The Telegraph reported.
A protester holds a ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ placard during the demonstration next to Green Park on November 25
The Oversight Board reviewed three cases involving Facebook posts with ‘from the river to the sea’ (stock image)
Pro-Palestine and climate activists from the group Fossil Free London block the entrances to the headquarters of fossil fuel giant BP in Central London, December 14
The board’s co-chairman, Pamela San Martin, said: ‘There has been an unacceptable and deeply disturbing rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia on and offline.
‘But context is crucial. Simply removing political speech is not a solution. There needs to be room for debate, especially during times of crisis.’
The board acknowledged that the phrase can be ‘understood by some’ as antisemitic or calling for the ‘violent elimination of Israel and its people’, it also said the phrase can be used for solidarity, equal rights and self-determination of the Palestinian people.
The Oversight Board reviewed three cases involving Facebook posts with ‘from the river to the sea’.
They found they did not break Meta’s rules involving restrictions on hate speech and incitement.
They also said an outright ban on the phrase would interfere with political speech in ‘unacceptable ways’.
A majority of the board said the use of the phrase by Hamas does not make it inherently violent or hateful.
Hamas has been named a terrorist group by the UK and the US and is banned from Meta platforms.
A majority of the board said the use of the phrase by Hamas does not make it inherently violent or hateful (stock image)
Pro-Palestine protesters gather outside a fundraiser for Israel at the Royal Society for Arts attended by Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely on December 14
But a minority of the board argued that because the phrase appears in the group’s 2017 charter and because of the October 7 terror attacks, using the phrase in a post should be presumed to be glorifying a banned entity.
The phrase ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ refers to the land between the Jordan River, which borders eastern Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.
The ruling added: ‘Because the phrase does not have a single meaning, a blanket ban on content that includes the phrase, a default rule towards removal of such content, or even using it as a signal to trigger enforcement or review, would hinder protected political speech in unacceptable ways.’
A spokesperson for Meta said: ‘We welcome the board’s review of our guidance on this matter. While all of our policies are developed with safety in mind, we know they come with global challenges and we regularly seek input from experts outside Meta, including the Oversight Board.’
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