The supervisory body of the Meta company stated today (Wednesday) that publications containing the phrase “from the river to the sea” should not be automatically removed. According to the body, the publications examined in which this expression appeared do not constitute a violation of the company’s policy that prohibits hate speech, incitement to violence or praise of dangerous organizations.
“While the phrase can be interpreted by some as encouragement and legitimization of anti-Semitism and the violent elimination of Israel and its people, it is also often used as a political call for solidarity, equal rights and self-determination for the Palestinian people, and for an end to the war in Gaza,” the decision reads. meta speaker, Corey Chambliss said in a statement that the company welcomes the body’s examination. “While all our policies are developed with safety in mind, we know they come with global challenges and we regularly seek input from experts outside of Meta, including the regulatory body,” he said.
The body examined three cases in which the phrase appeared on the platform, including a response to a video on Facebook that included the hashtag #FromTheRiverToTheSea along with #DefundIsrael and heart emojis in the colors of the Palestinian flag. In another case, a user posted a picture of watermelon slices – a substitute for the Palestinian flag – that formed the phrase, alongside the comment “Palestine will be free.”
Some Jewish groups have accused the social media giant of allowing anti-Semitism to fester on its networks following the October 7 Hamas attack that ignited the war. On the other hand, Meta has also been criticized by digital rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups, who claim that it suppressed legitimate political criticism of the Israeli government and the IDF during the war.
Sasha Roitman-Dratva, CEO of the Movement to Combat Anti-Semitism: “This is a wrong, invalid and even outrageous decision. ‘From the river to the sea’ is a slogan created out of the jihadist vision to destroy the State of Israel, and it must be judged in this context. This is an explicit call for genocide and the destruction of the Jewish state on the part of antisemites and haters of Israel, and there is no other way to understand it or attribute any other meaning to it. Since October 7, and even earlier, we have seen how inciting, violent and anti-Semitic discourse that takes place on the Internet and social networks turns into incidents of violence and terrorism against Jews in the field. Meta must understand this, and they must not give a platform and legitimacy to an open call for the murder of Jews.”