Malaysian Prime Minister accuses US-based social media platform of “cowardice” and acting on behalf of Israel.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim accused Meta of “cowardice” after the social media company removed his Facebook post about the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Malaysia supports the Palestinian cause and Anwar has repeatedly condemned Israel's war in Gaza and its actions in the occupied West Bank.
Following Haniyeh's assassination in Iran, the Malaysian leader released a video recording of his phone call with a Hamas official to offer his condolences, which was later deleted by the company owned by American billionaire Mark Zuckerberg.
A similar post on Anwar's Instagram account was also deleted by Meta, which owns the photo and video sharing social media app.
“Let this serve as a clear and unequivocal message to Meta: cease this display of cowardice and stop acting as instruments of the oppressive Israeli Zionist regime,” Anwar was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama on Thursday.
The removal of the posts was accompanied by the slogan: “Dangerous individuals and organizations.”
Anwar, who met Haniyeh in Qatar in May, has said he has good relations with Hamas's political leadership but no military ties.
KENYA MEDIA
Meta sekali lagi bertindak biadab dan telah menghina perjuangan rakyat Palestine apabila menurunkan hantaran video serta ucapan takziah dan kritikan terhadap pembunuhan Almarhum Ismail Haniyeh.
Tidak masuk akal apabila hantaran menghormati seorang pejuang yang… image.twitter.com/3rKblPYFb1
-Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) August 1, 2024
Haniyeh had also visited Malaysia over the years as Hamas's political leader.
There was no immediate response from Meta.
Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said Meta had been asked for an explanation and it was unclear whether the posts were automatically removed or taken down following a complaint.
Meta has labeled Hamas, the Palestinian movement that rules Gaza, a “dangerous organization” and bans content praising the group. It also uses a combination of automated detection and human review to remove or label explicit visual elements.
Malaysia has previously complained to Meta about the removal of content, including media coverage of Anwar's last meeting with Haniyeh, which was later reinstated.
Meta said at the time that it was not deliberately suppressing voices on Facebook or restricting content that supported Palestinians.
Malaysia has long advocated a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
