Facebook blocks Arabic-language page of QNN

Facebook has blocked the Arabic-language page of Quds News Network (QNN) in a bid to suppress pro-Palestine content.

QNN announced yesterday it has temporarily deactivated the page and it will start publishing on an alternative page as Facebook has blocked the Arabic-language main page of the network, which has 7 million followers.

The Network pointed out that pro-Palestine networks are no strangers to such restrictions on social media as the latter have been deleting and deactivating the accounts of Palestinians and pro-Palestinians.

QNN said that fighting the pro-Palestine content on social media will not deter the news outlets or Palestinians from documenting and covering what the Israeli occupation commits in Palestine to the whole world.

The Network stressed that it will continue covering and documenting the Palestinian cause and will strongly stand against Israel’s ongoing stifling of the Palestinian narrative.

QNN also stressed it will maintain objectivity, accuracy, consistency and complete partiality to the Palestinian cause.

Sada Social Center, a Palestinian digital rights organisation specializes in protecting Palestinian narratives on social media platforms and monitoting violations, documented more than 178 violations against Palestinian content during June 2021 only.

Twitter topped the list with 93 violations, followed by Facebook with 74 violations, Instagram with 9 violations, TikTok with one violation and one violation on YouTube.

Iyad Alrefaie, Sada Social cofounder, told QNN that fighting the pro-Palestine content on social media by the platform’s administrations has become very common lately, adding that pro-palestine content is not safe in any of these platforms, especially Facebook, which is the most used among Palestinians.

Alrefaie stated that suppressing and fighting the pro-Palestine content has been in coordination with the Israeli occupation government and security agencies, on the pretext of preventing Palestinian “incitement and hate speech” on its platform, stifling the Palestinian voices while giving the Israeli narrative the complete freedom.

Alrefaie said the continuous suppressing and fighting of the Palestinian narrarive may result in a complete non-existence of the narrarive while promoting the Israeli narrative.

Alrefaie told QNN that some Palestinian actors have exploited properties of the platforms for political aims simultaneous with efforts to fight the Israeli occupation efforts to suppress and stifle the Palestinian content, adding that such step would weaken the situation, as Palestinians, in front of the administations of these paltforms.

Alrefaie stressed on the necessity to fight the restrictions and all attempts that aim to suppress the Palestinian narrative to make “our voice heard at the global level and expose the occupation crimes.”