Meta Oversight Board rules ‘from the river to the sea’ not hate speech

We welcome the board’s review of our guidance on this matter.”

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.”

This continues to be the crux of the problem: the ongoing denial of Palestinians to live in equality, freedom and dignity like everyone else,

There has been an unacceptable and deeply disturbing rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia on- and offline, with widely reported rises in assault, vandalism and harassment. Social media companies have a clear responsibility to ensure they do not fan the flames of hate,

said Oversight Board co-chair Pamela San Martín

It is genocidal in intent and meaning and is not a legitimate political or ideological vision because it targets the one Jewish state and its inhabitants for destruction,

In upholding Meta’s decisions to keep up the content, the majority of the board notes the phrase has multiple meanings and is used by people in various ways and with different intentions,

The standalone phrase cannot be understood as a call to violence against a group based on their protected characteristics, as advocating for the exclusion of a particular group, or of supporting a designated entity – Hamas,

Those who support apartheid and Jewish supremacy will find the egalitarian chant objectionable,

While it can be understood by some as encouraging and legitimizing antisemitism 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 of the Palestinian people and to end the war in Gaza,

The Board finds there is no indication that the comment or the two posts broke Meta’s Hate Speech rules because they do not attack Jewish or Israeli people with calls for violence or exclusion, nor do they attack a concept or institution associated with a protected characteristic that could lead to imminent violence,

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,

Specifically, the three pieces of content contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians – but no language calling for violence or exclusion,

Usage of this phrase has the effect of making members of the Jewish and pro-Israel community feel unsafe and ostracized,

Instead of increasing transparency, Meta has closed down CrowdTangle and restricted access to its replacement, the Content Library,