Meta has announced an expansion of its hate speech policy to address the use of the word “Zionist” in relation to Jews or Israelis on its platform. This decision followed consultations with 145 stakeholders from civil society and academia worldwide.
The company plans to remove messages targeting ‘Zionists’ where the term is used to dehumanize Jews and Israelis, advocate harm, or deny their existence. Meta has faced pressure to regulate content from both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian accounts accused of inciting violence or spreading misinformation since October 7.
Human Rights Watch previously criticized Meta for “systemic censorship of Palestine content” during Israel’s Gaza war. The organization pointed out issues with Meta’s policies, implementation, reliance on automated tools, and government interference in content removals.
During the Gaza conflict, Palestinian social media posts have become vital sources of information due to restricted international media access. Palestinians rely on social media to seek assistance and updates amid Israeli-imposed telecommunications disruptions.
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