US antisemitism envoy hails Meta’s new policy against derogatory use of ‘Zionist’

The Biden administration’s antisemitism envoy hails Meta’s announcement that it will ban derogatory references to “Zionists” in cases where the term is used to refer to Jews or Israelis rather than supporters of the movement to establish a Jewish polity.

Deborah Lipstadt says the move “is an important step in mitigating the rampant spread of online antisemitism. It also recognizes the alarming, widespread use of ‘Zionists’ as a cover for expressing hatred of Jews in general.”

“Dialogue between governments, the private sector and civil society is crucial in turning the tide of rising hate, and we are proud to have had Meta and other social media companies around the table at the Symposium for Countering Online Antisemitism that my office convened earlier last month,” she adds.