ALBAWABA - The term "from the river to the sea," which is often used to express sympathy with Palestinians, has been declared by Meta's independent monitoring board to not inherently breach the company's present rules.
Three postings were reviewed before the panel, which renders final judgments on the platform's content moderation policies, made its verdict on Wednesday. It coincides with a larger discussion about the term, which has been widely used by demonstrators to express support for Palestinians and opposition to Israel's almost 11-month-long assault on Gaza.
Since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza, many people have been using the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" as a rallying cry. Israel has accused individuals who use this phrase of being anti-Semitic.
The board came to the conclusion that the material did not violate Meta's policies on acts of violence and incitement, hate speech, or dangerous groups and people, and hence should not result in the removal of posts from its platforms, AFP notes.
Within the geographical area that contains Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, the term "From the River to the Sea" refers to the region that is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
The panel stated that “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.”
“Specifically, the three pieces of content contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians – but no language calling for violence or exclusion,” it added, as reported by Al Jazeera.
