According to NBC News, the CIA has advised its employees against publishing pro-Palestine content on social media in response to a top CIA official posting a pro-Palestine image.

As per the Financial Times, the CIA's associate deputy director for analysis changed her Facebook cover photo on October 21 to an image of a man waving a Palestinian flag, signifying a stance of solidarity with Palestine. On that note, the incident sparked confusion among officials because "posting an overtly political image on a public platform is a very unusual move for a senior intelligence official". 

In another post, the senior intelligence official posted a selfie on Facebook with a sticker saying "Free Palestine" superimposed on the photograph. However, a person familiar with the image said it was posted to Facebook years ago and long before the current war. 

This comes as disputes arise between officials inside the administration concerning US President Joe Biden's duty to pressure "Israel" toward a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. That said, Senior officials hosted listening sessions with White House staff, the State Department, and other agencies to understand and try to quell their concerns about the president’s approach.  

An American official told NBC that the email served only as a "reminder of existing policy."

UN experts alarmed over censorship of support for Palestine

In a recent report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN special experts highlighted that Western journalists, athletes, and students expressing criticism of Israeli policies in Palestinian territories or advocating pro-Palestinian views are subjected to censorship, threats, and discrimination.

"Journalists and media outlets in Israel and Western countries reporting critically about Israeli policies and operations in the occupied territories or expressing pro-Palestinian views have been the target of threats, intimidation, discrimination, and retaliation, which have increased the risk of self-censorship, undermining the diversity and plurality of news that is essential for press freedom and the right of the public to be informed," the report read.

"The experts raised concerns about suspensions and expulsions of students from universities, dismissal of academics, calls for their deportation, threats to dissolve student unions and associations, and restrictions on-campus meetings to express solidarity with the suffering civilians in Gaza and denounce the ongoing Israeli military response," the report added.

Certain universities have reportedly blacklisted students who support what is falsely labeled as "terrorism," issuing warnings of potential career setbacks, according to the report.