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HRW: Facebook censors Palestinian posts on Israeli human rights abuses
HRW, the New York-based NGO, also claimed that Facebook’s reliance on the United States’ Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) list for designating organizations as “dangerous” is a threat to free expression as it prohibits Palestinian leaders from using Facebook. Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), both of which are on the FTOs list, are merely “political movements that also have armed wings,” HRW said.
Instagram, owned by Facebook, removed several posts pertaining to Palestine, including reposts of mainstream news organizations, HRW said. Posts in support of the Palestinian cause, such as one urging Palestinians to “never concede their rights” and another showing a building before it was “struck down by Israeli missiles” were removed from the social networking application for containing “hate speech or symbols,” according to HRW.
“Facebook provides a particularly critical platform where Israeli authorities are committing crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution against millions,” said HRW’s Deborah Brown. “Instead of respecting people’s right to speak out, Facebook is silencing many people arbitrarily and without explanation,” Brown added.
PRO-PALESTINIAN demonstrators protest at the Washington Monument earlier this year. (credit: YURI GRIPAS/REUTERS)
HRW advised Facebook to commission an independent investigation into content moderation specifically for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as the Facebook Oversight Board recommended in September.
“Facebook has suppressed content posted by Palestinians and their supporters speaking out about human rights issues in Israel and Palestine,” said Brown. “With the space for such advocacy under threat in many parts of the world, Facebook censorship threatens to restrict a critical platform for learning and engaging on these issues.”
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa signed a joint communiqué for the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Palestine. On June 21, the Armenian Foreign Ministry officially recognized the state of Palestine, making Armenia the 149th country to take this step.
The formalization of Armenian-Palestinian diplomatic relations comes at a complicated time for the State of Israel.
The official establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Palestine comes at a time when Israel just eliminated Hezbollah terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah in the hopes of derailing the Iran-backed terrorist groups that are presently fighting against the Jewish state. Many could view Armenia’s establishment of diplomatic relations with Palestine at this time as a move designed to give Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other Iran-backed terrorist groups breathing room to continue to wage a violent struggle against Israel.
As we speak, these terrorist groups continue to attack Israel. Last week, the Iran-backed terrorist groups in Iraq attacked Eilat. This comes after the Houthis in Yemen took responsibility for an attack on Tel Aviv, and Hezbollah itself rained down a series of missiles at central Israel a week earlier which targeted areas of the country previously not under rocket fire, including Netanya, Kfar Yona, and Even Yehuda. At a time like this, Armenia recognizing Palestine is a victory for terrorism.Although the PA is not the same as the Iran-backed terrorist groups fighting against Israel, it is critical to recall that the PA has given emotional support to these groups. According to Palestinian Media Watch, “Ignoring the thousands of rockets and drones fired at northern Israel by the Iranian-backed Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah since the start of the 2023 Gaza war, the Palestinian Authority and its ruling party, Fatah, continue to express support for Hezbollah against Israel by painting Hezbollah as a victim.”
Azerbaijan in contrast with Armenia
Following Israel’s recent pager attacks, in which Hezbollah has announced that at least 38 of its members were killed, both the PA and Fatah hurried to express their support for “sister Lebanon.” PA head Mahmoud Abbas’s office “condemned” the attacks as “acts of terror,” claiming they “harmed innocent civilians.” Also ignoring Hezbollah’s numerous attacks on Israeli civilian areas – and the murder of over 40 Israelis, including 12 children who were playing soccer – Abbas’s adviser Mahmoud al-Habbash accused Israel of “escalating” the situation and seeking to “undermine the region’s stability” with its “aggressive operations.”
Fatah also condemned Israel’s “aggressive and criminal operation,” stressing its continued support for Lebanon and its “great appreciation for the support” that Lebanon – i.e., terrorist organization Hezbollah – “has given the [Palestinian] cause.” In addition to promising to “continue on the path of struggle” by committing more terrorist attacks, Fatah has also directly called on Hezbollah to continue attacking Israel. Recently, top PA/Fatah official Jibril Rajoub encouraged Hezbollah and Iran to “punish the Israeli enemy.”
In contrast, Azerbaijan has not issued any statements in support of the Palestinians at this crucial time when Israel eliminated Nasrallah. The only action that Azerbaijan took was to cancel its flights to Israel due to “security concerns.” It also advised its citizens not to visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority at this time again because of security concerns. Azerbaijan has not expressed any hostility toward Israel as the Jewish state continues to fight against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and other proxies of Iran.
This shows why Israelis should appreciate Azerbaijan and the friendship that it offers to the Jewish people. During our difficult moments, Azerbaijan is there, standing beside us, offering solidarity and support. In fact, the economic relationship between Azerbaijan and Israel continues to blossom despite Israel’s war against Iran and its proxies.
Azerbaijan is one of the few countries where it is safe for Israelis to travel despite the war in Gaza and Lebanon. Antisemitism is alien to the Azerbaijani culture.It is for this reason that Israelis should support Azerbaijan and condemn Armenia for supporting Iran’s proxies, especially at this critical time.
One of the reasons Azerbaijan is so understanding of Israel is that it must deal with a biased approach similar to the one Israel must grapple with. For example, Holland called Azerbaijan’s control of Karabakh the “takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh,” just as the Armenians now consider Judea and Samaria, and Gaza, to be “occupied Palestinian land” that must be liberated.
The Azerbaijanis have a rich history in Karabakh that dates back to antiquity, just as the Jewish connection to Judea and Samaria dates back to ancient times. Four UN Security Council resolutions have recognized that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, just as the Mandate for Palestine recognized Judea and Samaria as part of Israel.
Azerbaijan and Israel are facing the same struggle to get their rights recognized by biased states such as Armenia and Holland, which prefer to condemn both countries rather than recognize their historical rights.
The writer is a Middle East scholar and commentator on the region.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is expected to fly to Washington DC on Wednesday to discuss all of the Middle East security situations with top US defense officials, including a potential attack on Iran.
On Sunday, Gallant continued to threaten to hit back hard for Tehran’s massive attack on Israel on October 1.
He also claimed that the IDF’s Nebatim base, which he visited on Sunday, was fully operational, though satellite footage from foreign reports has indicated 30 impacts from Iranian rockets, including on at least one runway.
Previously, the IDF has said not a single fighter plane or pilot was lost during the attacks, though there are reports that Nebatim and Tel Nof both had damage.Questioned about whether Gallant’s trip to Washington meant a delay in Israel’s attack on Iran until Gallant had spoken in person with top American officials, there was no response from Gallant’s office at press time.
War developments
Alternatively, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his trip to speak at the UN two weeks ago as a cover for a secret plan to assassinate Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
In the meantime, Iran grounded all flights throughout the country until at least Monday out of concern of a possible Israeli attack, hoping it would be easier to track Israeli aircraft or missiles coming in if the airspace was clear.
The IDF on Sunday undertook around 150 airstrikes in support of ground troops Divisions 98 and 36, which have been operating in southern Lebanon since September 30.
IDF Col. Or Volozinsky of Brigade 188 said that his forces were destroying large amounts of Hezbollah Radwan forces weapons stored in almost every house.
In one house alone, the IDF found dozens of anti-tank missiles.
The anti-tank missiles are Hezbollah’s main threat against IDF invading forces and caused deaths and injuries to IDF soldiers on October 2.Since that incident, however, Volozinsky said the IDF has adjusted its tactics to generally only enter new areas after having used greater amounts of artillery, tank fire, and air strikes to clear out potential Hezbollah ambush forces.
Significant timing possible
IDF sources did start to signal that they expect to be in Lebanon longer than the two to three weeks originally set down by top IDF officials when the invasion started.
In addition, the IDF noted that the air force killed the Hezbollah commander who planned the anti-tank missile attack, which killed two Israelis in Kfar Yuval in the North on January 14.
With almost a week having passed since the start of the invasion, IDF sources suggested they were still just at the very beginning of taking apart Hezbollah’s capabilities in southern Lebanon and that significant time could be needed to carry out the mission properly.
Given that most of the world opposed any invasion, pressure could quickly ratchet up on Israel if it continues past the original few declared weeks.
At the same time, the number of dying Lebanese civilians has dropped significantly in recent days since most had evacuated southern Lebanon before the invasion began.
To date, Hezbollah has only provided a small number of spots of resistance during the invasion, far less than during the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
Late Sunday night, the IDF continued to close off border towns for military use, adding Manrah, Yiftach, and Malchiah to several towns that have been closed off since last week.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has maintained rocket fire both on the northern border and deeper into Israel, including with a direct hit on a residence in Maalot, though there were no reported injuries.
The IDF estimated Hezbollah fired around 25 rockets midday and around 30 rockets overnight between Saturday and Sunday.
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