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Article

14 May 2021

Author:
Emily Birnbaum, Politico (US)

Facebook meets with Israeli & Palestinian officials to discuss online hate speech & threats as violence escalates

As Israeli forces intensify their attacks on the Gaza Strip and the death count rises, Facebook finds itself caught at the center of a violent conflict ricocheting toward all-out war.

"In response to the violence, we are working to make sure our services are a safe place for our community," Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone said. "We will continue to remove content that violates our Community Standards, which do not allow hate speech or incitement to violence, and will proactively explain and promote dialogue on these policies to policymakers."

Facebook has already faced fury this week over numerous instances in which the company took down posts from Palestinian activists and citizens, including content about Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of Islam's holiest sites.

TikTok and Facebook executives participated last week in a meeting with the Israeli Minister of Justice, Benny Gantz. A company spokesperson from TikTok said it already removed content in the region that violates its policies against violence, hate speech and hateful behavior.

Twitter spokesperson Katie Rosborough said the company was being "vigilant" about taking down posts that violate its rules against hateful content. Twitter did not attend the recent meeting with Gantz.

Google's YouTube did not immediately respond to requests for comment about whether it had plans to meet with Israeli or Palestinian officials.

All of the platforms have spent years instituting more aggressive policies against hate speech and incitements to violence, but the latest clash between Israelis and Palestinians will test the limits of those rules and moderation capacity as the sides disagree vehemently over basic facts of the conflict.

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