Meta allows use of pro-Palestine slogan "From the River to the Sea"

Meta's independent Oversight Board ruled that the standalone use of the phrase "From the River to the Sea" does not violate the company's content policies.

The decision was made on September 4 following a review of three cases involving Facebook posts containing the phrase.

The phrase, popular among pro-Palestinian users, has been at the centre of controversy, with Tel Aviv accusing those who use it of anti-Semitism.

The Oversight Board, the top authority in Meta's content moderation decisions, reviewed three cases involving Facebook posts containing the phrase, which has gained prominence due to Israel's war on Gaza and worldwide protests against it.

However, the Oversight Board found that the content did not break Meta's rules on "hate speech, violence and incitement, or dangerous organisations and individuals."

"The three pieces of content contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians, but no language calling for violence or exclusion," the board wrote in its decision.

The phrase is a call for self-determination and equal rights and refers to the geographical area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, encompassing Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza.

Israel's military offensives in Gaza since Oct 7 have resulted in devastating losses, with over 40,000 Palestinians killed, including 16,456 children and 11,000 women.

The United Nations (UN) reported that two-thirds of buildings across the Gaza Strip have been "damaged or destroyed." Israeli attacks have also killed at least 270 aid workers.

The restrictions on food, water, medicine, and fuel supplies have exacerbated the situation in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) directed Israel to ensure basic services and humanitarian aid delivery in the besieged enclave.

The Palestinian government's information office reported that almost 1.7 million Gazans have been displaced due to relentless air and artillery strikes by the Israeli military.

Thousands of children in Gaza have been diagnosed with malnutrition, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

“A significant proportion of Gaza’s population is now facing catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom said on June 12 while talking to reporters.

Earlier, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) head Cindy McCain said people in Gaza are starving to death.

"The speed at which this man-made hunger and malnutrition crisis has ripped through Gaza is terrifying,” he added.

“To have 50 percent of an entire population in catastrophic, near-famine levels, is unprecedented,” Beth Bechdol, the deputy director general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said.

The WFP estimated that around 1.1 million people are "struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation" due to Israel's severe restrictions on food, water, medicine, and fuel supplies to the besieged enclave.