Terms of serving the occupation
Early in the morning on August 15th, our team woke up to the message that the UCP in Palestine Instagram had been suspended. The message from Meta explained that the UCP in Palestine Instagram “didn’t follow our rules.”
Well, at least they are being honest. But let’s be clear about what Meta’s rules really are.
In just the first month following October 7th, 2023, Human Rights Watch documented 1,050 takedowns of pro-Palestinian content. Do you want to take a guess at how many of these were peaceful messages in support of Palestinian human rights? 1,049. Furthermore, the BBC documented an 85% decrease in traffic to Palestinian news pages on Facebook in the first year of the genocide in Gaza, suggesting that Facebook’s algorithm and other practices have been decreasing the visibility of these journalists.
At the time that I am writing this entry, it has been only five days since Israel bombed al-Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and four of his colleagues in Gaza, so I am filled with unbridled rage knowing that Meta has suppressed coverage by Palestinian journalists - who put their lives on the line more than any other group of journalists in modern history - when people all around the world need to know what is happening on the ground in Palestine now more than ever.
Now, what are Meta’s rules? Genocide and occupation seems fine by them. As far as I know, countless pro-Israel social media influencers who have harrassed Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including Ras al-Auja, still have their platforms. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant still have their Instagram accounts even after calling Palestinians "human animals" and suggesting that Palestinians need to be wiped out. And the State of Israel continues to spread the message that every Palestinian is secretly a terrorist to its 1.6 million followers while it carries out a wholesale destruction of Palestinian life.
No, these do not violate Meta’s rules. But sharing joyful images of Palestinians and civilian protectors milking goats is against the terms of service, apparently. So is advertising opportunities to meet with Palestinians and hear their stories directly. Holding settlers accountable does not “follow the rules.”
UCP in Palestine will appeal this decision, and we will get our account back to continue sharing Palestinian voices and bearing witness to occupation. As long as Meta’s rules support killing journalists, expelling Palestinians, and entrenching the occupation, we will not play by those rules.
Lori Ackerman, UCP in Palestine Social Media and Communications