Social media giant Meta declared that the antisemitic slogan, From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free is not hate speech despite it calling for the destruction of Israel.

Metas independent Oversight Board on Wednesday ruled that users of its Facebook and Instagram apps can continue to use the phrase as long as their posts do not include other context that glorifies the terrorist group responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel or calls for violence.

Jewish groups reacted with outrage at the ruling, calling it short-sighted and ill-informed and warning that the decision will embolden visceral hate targeting Jews. 

Metas board failed to recognize that “from the River to the Sea,” which is part of the Hamas Terrorist Organization’s Charter, is inherently genocidal and antisemitic and should constitute hate speech,” the World Jewish Congress said. 

The chant has been the centerpiece of protests that have roiled college campuses around the country. The phrase has also dominated congressional hearings as Jewish college students have begged lawmakers to hold universities accountable for a massive spike in antisemitism.

The shocking decision by the 21-member board thrust Mark Zuckerbergs company back into the forefront of the free speech debate.

Meta infamously blocked then-President Donald Trumps account following the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riots and censored The Posts coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.

Last week, Zuckerberg admitted that Meta caved to pressure from the Biden-Harris administration to remove posts about COVID-19 that included humor and satire.

Metas arbiters of free speech, however, decided not to bow when it comes to from the river to the sea a call for a Palestinian state stretching across the land between the Jordan River and Mediterranean that is home to Israel.

While Meta’s VR may be able to magically create a new Jewish homeland for users, I doubt Hamas will do the same for the Israeli people, Assemblyman Sam Berger (D-Queens) told the Post. 

The board looked at three cases in which users reported posts using the phrase and ruled that they did not break Metas hate speech rules because they did not explicitly call for violence against Jewish or Israeli people despite it explicitly calling for the end of Israel.

Instead, the three pieces of content contain contextual signals of solidarity with Palestinians, the board said.

One of the posts reviewed by Metas board showed the phrase made out of floating watermelon symbols. Social media users have adopted watermelon emojis as a pro-Palestinian symbol.

The post was viewed 8 million times and reported 951 times, the board said.

The other two cases were viewed by fewer people.

One was a comment encouraging people to speak up about the conflict and another was a share of a post by a pro-Palestinian organization, the board said.

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, the board ruled.

Some board members disagreed with the Wednesday decision and argued that the phrase should be understood as an inherent glorification of Hamas since it appears in the 2017 Hamas charter.

The advisory boards decisions are made by panels of five members and approved by a majority vote of the full board, which was created by Zuckerberg in 2019.

Notable members include former prime minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt, ex-United Nations spokesperson Khaled Monsour, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkol Karman, former editor in chief of the left-wing UK paper The Guardian Alan Rusbridger, and Mexico City-based human rights lawyer Pamela San Martn.

There has been an unacceptable and deeply disturbing rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia on and offline. But context is crucial. Simply removing political speech is not a solution. There needs to be room for debate, especially during times of crisis, said San Martin, the boards co-chairman.

The Anti-Defamation League has reported a 337% increase in antisemitic incidents around the country since Hamas terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza into Israel and killed 1,200 people.

This decision continues the pattern of supreme indifference to online hate and harassment that has long been the hallmark of Metas leadership, the ADL said.

New Yorks Jewish leaders also blasted the boards ruling.

Very clearly from the river to the sea is well understood to mean the eradication of the only Jewish state on the planet, said Councilman Eric Dinowitz, a Jewish caucus member.

Councilman Kalman Yeger, another Jewish caucus member, added Its absolute hate speech. What it means is to make an area of the world judenrein (German for free of Jews). 

Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, said This flawed decision will only exacerbate and embolden the visceral hate and harm that are virally spreading via social media and opens the door wide open for further abhorrent slogans against Jews and other communities to be normalized as well.”