Meta says Malaysian PM Anwar’s condolence posts for Haniyeh removed in error
Facebook parent company, which designates Hamas a ‘dangerous organization’ and censors expressions of support, restores posts, with a note explaining ‘newsworthiness’ exception
Facebook parent company Meta Platforms apologized on Tuesday for erroneously removing Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s social media posts in which he expressed condolences to a Hamas official about the assassination of the terror group’s leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Meta was sorry for “an operational error,” adding that the content had been restored with “the correct newsworthy label,” a Meta spokesperson told Reuters.
As of Tuesday, Anwar’s posts were visible on his Facebook page, where a note was visible reading: “This post is allowed for public awareness.” Clicking on the note, a user was directed to the platform’s community standards, which includes an exception for “newsworthy content.”
The US social media giant designates Hamas as a “dangerous organization” and bans content praising the group. It uses a mix of automated detection and human review to remove or label graphic visuals.
Anwar posted on Facebook and Instagram on July 31 a video recording of his phone call with a Hamas official to offer condolences over Haniyeh’s death. He also posted a picture from his last meeting with Haniyeh in Qatar in May, along with a condolence message.
It was the second run-in Meta has had with the Malaysian government, which called the takedown of the posts unjust, discriminatory and a suppression of free speech. Malaysia’s communications minister and members of the Prime Minister’s Office met Meta representatives on Monday to seek an explanation.
In a similar incident in May, Meta restored Facebook posts by Anwar over his meeting with Haniyeh, saying they were taken down in error.
Muslim-majority Malaysia, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, has warned that firm action could be taken against Meta and other social media companies if they blocked pro-Palestinian content on their platforms.
The social media giant has also came into conflict with Turkey over its policy regarding praise of Hamas.
The country blocked Instagram, also owned by Meta, last week, shortly after the country’s communications minister denounced the platform for censoring condolence posts for Haniyeh.
In a speech on Monday, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused social media companies of trying to “muzzle the Palestinian people’s voices,” citing the controversy over posts about Haniyeh.
