For Meta, calling for the extermination of Jews is not hate speech

The supervisory board of Meta, Facebook's parent company, decided Wednesday that posts calling for the extermination of Jews with the expression “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” will not be automatically removed.

According to the company, the posts reviewed that included this expression did not violate the company's policy prohibiting hate speech, incitement to violence or the exaltation of dangerous organizations.

"The majority of the Board notes the phrase has multiple meanings and is used by people in various ways and with different intentions," Meta’s oversight body said.

The board added that while some may understand the phrase "can be used by some to encourage and legitimize antisemitism and the violent elimination of Israel and its people, it is also 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 further argued that only "a minority" believe that because the phrase "appears in the 2017 Hamas charter and given the October 7 attacks, its use in a post should be presumed to constitute glorification of a designated entity, unless there are clear signals to the contrary," the statement continued.

The phrase ‘denies the right of the State of Israel to exist’

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a U.S. organization that fights antisemitism, expressed its disagreement with Meta's decision.

"Usage of this phrase has the effect of making members of the Jewish and pro-Israel community feel unsafe and ostracized. There are many ways to advocate for Palestinian justice and rights, including a Palestinian State, without resorting to using this hateful phrase, which denies the right of the State of Israel to exist," the ADL said.

What does 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' mean?

The ADL website notes that the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” used by a large number of pro-Hamas demonstrators, constitutes "a call for a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, which would mean the dismantling of the Jewish state. It is an antisemitic charge denying the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland."