Al Mayadeen English unpublished by FB, asserting pro-'Israel' bias
4 Min Read
Following several attempts to restrict Al Mayadeen English by Meta, Facebook has unpublished our page on Facebook, citing community guidelines violations.
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Meta's policy has also been consistently in line with the Israeli government's attempts to censor Al Mayadeen. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)
Meta has unpublished Al Mayadeen English's page following several previous attempts, citing alleged violations of community guidelines.
Facebook justified its decision by citing several posts that reported on the martyrs of "Israel's" Friday massacre in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, in which a number of Lebanese Resistance commanders were assassinated after "Israel" targeted a residential building, including commanders Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmad Wehbe, and dozens of civilians.
The toll of the massacre currently stands at 51 martyrs, with 10 still missing, alongside numerous injured.
Al Mayadeen English's reporting follows strict journalistic guidelines and standards. It is possible that the decision could have been taken for the mere mentioning of the names of the martyred commanders. Though Al Mayadeen is a news website, it has been repeatedly subjected to shadow bans and restrictions in an attempt to suppress its content, which is pro-Palestine and pro-Resistance, highlighting the duality of Meta's position on press freedom.
Below are the posts cited by Meta as violations of its guidelines.
The Israeli aggression on #Beirut's Southern Suburb on Friday led to the martyrdom of several citizens, including Hezbollah Commander Ahmad Mahmoud Wehbe "Hajj Abu Hussein Samir."
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 21, 2024
Martyr Wehbe worked closely with Commander Aqil, who was also martyred in the attack.
He led a… pic.twitter.com/4zDHcLb5TH
The Islamic Resistance in #Lebanon mourned the martyrdom of leader and military commander Hajj Ibrahim Aqil "Abdul Qader" in the Israeli aggression on Beirut's Southern Suburb, Lebanon, on Friday.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 21, 2024
Born in the village of Bednayel, Baalbeck, in 1962, martyr Aqil led a life of… pic.twitter.com/X5qjrea4ha
In exclusive interviews for #AlMayadeen, Hezbollah fighters, who were wounded in the Israeli pager and walkie-talkies terrorist attacks, expressed their unwavering commitment to the Resistance in steadfast messages to the Secretary-General of the Islamic Resistance in #Lebanon,… pic.twitter.com/OXLaNeaJBg
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 20, 2024
Most notably, one of the posts that were removed dealt with the Palestinian Resistance's 2005 liberation of Gaza. Although no Resistance movements were mentioned in the post, Facebook still cited this as a breach of its community guidelines, as did Instagram.
Today marks the 19th anniversary of the liberation of #Gaza after the Israeli forces withdrew from the Strip as a result of the cumulative efforts of the #Palestinian Resistance throughout the years.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 12, 2024
As we remember the story of the liberation, we look forward to the victory of… pic.twitter.com/BNV9foDU96
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Meta silencing, suppressing any pro-Palestine content
Red Stream, The Cradle, Mondoweiss, and Al Mayadeen English have all been previously unpublished or completely suspended by Mark Zuckerberg's Meta, which has been largely cracking down on any pro-Palestine content, subjecting news outlets to shadow bans or completely removing content that is deemed pro-Resistance.
Meta admitted in 2022 to suppressing and censoring Palestinian content.
In December 2023, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report revealing how moderation rules and algorithms have progressively repressed voices in support of Palestine on Instagram and Facebook and suppressed protected speech, including nonviolent communication in favor of Palestine and public discussion about Palestinian human rights.
Meta used its "Dangerous Organizations and Individuals" (DOI) policy in hundreds of documented incidents, which fully includes the United States-recognized lists of "terrorist organizations". Meta has invoked these lists and used them broadly to limit the legal expression of pro-Palestine voices.
"Israel" and its supporters have sought on numerous occasions to remove opposing voices from the airwaves or the internet. Former Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked boasted that she worked closely with Facebook to censor Palestinian voices, with the Silicon Valley company agreeing to remove around 95% of the information she requested.
'Israel' bans Al Mayadeen in occupied Palestine
Meta's policy has also been consistently in line with the Israeli government's attempts to censor Al Mayadeen.
In November 2023, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved the suspension of Al Mayadeen Media Network in occupied Palestine. The ban followed a joint statement by the Minister of Occupation Security, Yoav Galant, and the Minister of Communications, Shlomo Karai, who cited the network as a threat to “Israel’s security” as the reason for the ban.
Just one month ago in August, "Israel" renewed the ban on Al Mayadeen, with the decision this time escalating to include the confiscation of its equipment and the blocking of its websites.
Israeli media reported that the Minister of Communications pursued a new government decision after obtaining a "professional opinion" from security agencies and receiving approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Read more: Meta considering increased censorship over word 'Zionist': Reports
