Meta Apologizes to Malaysia for Removing Condolence Messages Regarding the Killing of Ismail Haniyeh
The apology comes after the office of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim summoned representatives from the company to explain the removal of his posts about Haniyeh.
Technology giant Meta apologized on Tuesday for removing posts by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim about the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, while Turkey, which banned Instagram due to the removal of condolence messages for the Palestinian leader, has ignored the apology.
The apology from Meta came after Anwar Ibrahim’s office summoned representatives from the company to explain the removal of the Malaysian Prime Minister’s posts on Facebook and Instagram regarding Haniyeh‘s death.
Meta stated in a press release: “We apologize for an operational error that resulted in the removal of content from the Prime Minister’s pages on Facebook and Instagram,” adding that “the content has since been restored with the proper notation.”
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Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah have accused Israel of assassinating Ismail Haniyeh in a strike targeting his residence in Tehran on Wednesday, after he attended the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president, Massoud Bezhkishian. This came hours after the death of Hezbollah’s military commander, Fouad Shokr, in an Israeli strike on southern Beirut.
Anwar Ibrahim’s posts included a video showing him making a phone call to a Hamas official to offer his condolences.
On Instagram, a notice from Meta shared by Anwar stated that the posts were removed due to their association with “dangerous individuals and organizations.” Anwar’s office described the removal as a “blatant suppression of free speech,” demanding an apology from the tech giant.
Last week, Anwar accused the company of “cowardice” for removing his posts. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, and the European Union.
Anwar, who met Haniyeh in Qatar in May, defended Malaysia’s relations with the Iran-backed Hamas. During a visit to Germany in March, he emphasized that Malaysia’s relations with Hamas were with the political wing of Hamas, not its military wing.
In contrast, Meta has ignored calls for an apology from Turkish authorities, who banned Instagram for the same reason, namely the removal of condolences for the assassination of the Hamas leader. The platform was accused of censorship and failing to remove posts deemed offensive by the authorities.
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The Turkish government invited Instagram officials to a meeting yesterday, Monday, four days after the ban was imposed in the country. This move appears to be aimed at easing tensions after telecommunications companies in Turkey, which rely on the platform to sell their products, were affected by the block.
