Report: Israel Behind Massive Meta Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Content
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp has complied with 94% of content takedown requests from the Israeli government since October 7, 2023, according to leaked internal data obtained by Drop Site News.
The data reveals that Israel led a global campaign to remove content critical of its actions, especially pro-Palestinian posts. Meta removed over 90,000 posts based on these takedown requests.
Most of Israel’s requests—95%—were categorized under “terrorism” or “violence and incitement.” These requests mainly targeted users in Arab and Muslim-majority countries, including Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine. Only 1.3% of requests targeted Israeli users.
Sources inside Meta said that Israel’s reports often did not specify details about the content flagged. Instead, they included broad legal claims and cited the Israeli Counter-Terrorism Act.
Meta’s system treated Israel’s reports with high priority. Posts linked in Israeli requests were often removed within seconds—without full human review. The company also fed the results into its AI, shaping future content moderation to be stricter against similar posts.
Whistleblowers confirmed that Meta’s automated systems and human moderators both disproportionately flagged peaceful pro-Palestinian content. Human Rights Watch reviewed 1,050 removed or suppressed posts since October 7. All but one supported Palestine.
Inside Meta, the Integrity Organization oversees enforcement. It is led by Guy Rosen, a former Israeli military officer. Jordana Cutler, a former Israeli government advisor, heads public policy for Israel at Meta. Leaked communications show she has directly influenced takedown actions, including targeting content mentioning Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani.
Drop Site News also reported that Meta’s AI systems were trained using Israeli takedown requests. This means future moderation will likely mirror the same bias.
Meta has faced years of criticism for favoring Israel in moderation decisions. However, the scale of takedowns since October 2023 marks what experts now call one of the largest global censorship operations in the digital age.
Despite internal concerns and external reports, Meta has not changed course. Insiders stress that the company “actively enabled” Israel’s strategy to suppress Palestinian voices online.
