A few words that ignite global tensions and countless debates sparked over one phrase, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” For some, it stands as a powerful slogan of resistance– but for others, it signals a call for Israel’s destruction.
Over the past year, the phrase has been commonly used during many pro-Palestine protests.
The City of Calgary has responded to concerns about its use in public demonstrations, including the details of a man’s arrest.
“Hate speech, as defined in the criminal code, is complex, and several contextual factors must be considered before charges can be laid. We will continue to police behaviours, not beliefs,” said the City of Calgary in a statement in November 2023.
Concerns
Wesam Cooley, a pro-Palestinian activist, was arrested for chanting the phrase during a protest at Calgary’s City Hall in September of 2024.
“This is the sort of treatment you get from Calgary police when you stand up against a genocide,” said Cooley. “Not sure if that’s even charter-compliant or legal.”
Albraa Atmeh, a Palestinian activist, argues that the definition of a Semite includes any individual indigenous to speaking the Semitic language, saying that “we are Semitic people,” and that the phrase has been misrepresented.
“All we are saying is that from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, Palestine, in its entirety, will be free. That’s basically it,” said Atmeh. “There is no difference between saying that and saying free, free Palestine.”
Political approach
Atmeh adds that he believes Jewish rabbis are also acting against the ideology of Zionism.
“Our cause has absolutely nothing to do with Jewish hate. The majority of Jews outside of Israel side with the Palestinian side,” said Atmeh.
However, Rob Nagus, CEO of the Calgary Jewish Federation (CJF), argues that the phrase calls for replacing Israel instead of coexisting alongside it.
“Our concern at CJF is that the phrase calls for the elimination of Israel, as it implies a Palestinian state in place of Israel rather than alongside it,” said Nagus in a written statement to the Calgary Journal. “This is advocating for the removal of Israel from the map, which is a direct denial of the Jewish right to self-determination and the legitimacy of the State of Israel.”
Historical approach
In November 2023, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser banned the phrase, characterizing it as a symbol associated with Hamas.
Given Germany’s historical responsibility stemming from its Nazi past, the use of the phrase could be prosecutable based on Section 86a of the Criminal Code.
Nagus said that the phrase was “criminalized and is considered as the use of symbols of terrorist organizations” in the context of Germany’s stance in 2023.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is an anti-hate organization that has focused on stopping “the defamation of the Jewish people” since 1913. ADL interprets the use of the phrase as hateful and unsafe.
“An antisemitic charge denying the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland,” said ADL.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of ADL, responds in a letter to Meta’s Oversight Board.
“And while the phrase might not always be directly linked to support for Hamas, it is exclusively linked to values, at this time, that Hamas pursues: the destruction of Israel,” said Greenblatt.
Cultural approach
Dr. Deirdre Nunan, a Canadian doctor who has spent two years on the ground in Gaza, explains the phrase from a humanitarian perspective.
“It’s a phrase that I wouldn’t have used myself,” said Nunan. “Personally, for me, it means that wherever Palestinians are, they deserve to have an identity and a freedom of self-determination within their homeland. That homeland is between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. For me, it does not go beyond that in terms of how some people have seen it to mean that between the river and the sea would be only Palestine or only Palestinians to the exclusion of Israeli people living in that same zone.”
Facebook and the phrase
In September 2024, Meta’s Oversight Board reviewed three cases involving the phrase on Facebook and responded that it doesn’t fundamentally violate hate speech policies.
“Specifically, the three pieces of content contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians, but no language calling for violence or exclusion. They also do not glorify or even refer to Hamas, an organization designated as dangerous by Meta,” said Meta’s board.
Meta’s Oversight Board concluded that “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is not hate speech and recognizes the phrase has multiple meanings.
Nunan acknowledges the different interpretations of the phrase, some assigning a negative or hateful meaning, which can be seen as genocidal in itself.
She also recognizes how others approach the phrase with the desire to see it in a bad way and “a desire to interpret its use in the most negative sense possible.”