A bipartisan group of House lawmakers blasted Meta’s Oversight Board for ruling that the phrase “From the river to the sea” does not violate the social media company’s rules against hate speech, violence and incitement.

The lawmakers noted in a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg that Congress voted in a bipartisan fashion to condemn the phrase — which they said is “clearly a call for the destruction of the State of Israel and serves as an antisemitic charge” — and urged the social media company to reject the Oversight Board’s decision.

“We urge Meta and the Oversight Board to reassess this decision and take swift action to ensure this phrase is not used on its platform to further antisemitic hate online,” lawmakers said. “We also call on Meta to provide further information on the steps it is taking proactively to ensure all users feel safe from hate and harassment while utilizing Meta’s products”

The lawmakers highlighted that the slogan has long been used as a rallying cry by a range of terrorist groups and leaders “to reference their goal of wiping out the State of Israel and destroying the Jewish people,” and has been used since Oct. 7 to “intimidate Jewish student and praise Hamas’ actions.”

They highlighted that Jews are facing increased harassment online and that many Jews are hiding their faith online out of fear of such harassment. The lawmakers added that “online hate begets real life violence,” adding that “increasingly early age that individuals are being radicalized on social media, before they have the knowledge or context to form informed opinions about complex subjects.”

The letter’s signatories include Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Don Davis (D-NC), Dina Titus (D-NV), Don Bacon (R-NE), Tom Kean (R-NJ), Susie Lee (D-NV), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Jim Costa (D-CA).

The Anti-Defamation League backed the letter. Joel Cohen, director of government relations for the ADL, said in a statement to Jewish Insider that the Oversight Board’s decision is “profoundly troubling.”

“This phrase is not just a slogan; it is an antisemitic call long used by terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah seeking the expulsion of millions of Jews and the destruction of the State of Israel,” Cohen said. “The Oversight Board’s claim that the phrase has ‘multiple meanings’ dangerously ignores its well-documented history of incitement and hate. Regardless of intent, the phrase makes Jewish communities feel unsafe, and its use must be classified as hate speech. We thank Congress for this bipartisan stand against online antisemitic hate speech.”