Facebook’s parent company Meta apologized on Tuesday for removing social media posts by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim regarding the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The apology followed a summons from Anwar’s office, seeking an explanation for the removal of the Prime Minister’s Facebook and Instagram posts about Haniyeh’s death.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, acknowledged the mistake. “We apologize for an operational error where content from the Prime Minister’s Facebook and Instagram Pages were removed,” Meta stated in an email to AFP.
On July 31, Anwar had posted a video on Facebook and Instagram of his phone call with a Hamas official, offering condolences for Haniyeh’s death. He also shared a picture from his last meeting with Haniyeh in Qatar in May, accompanied by a condolence message.
This incident marks the second conflict between Meta and the Malaysian government, which criticized the removal of the posts as unjust, discriminatory, and a suppression of free speech. Malaysia’s communications minister and members of the Prime Minister’s Office met with Meta representatives on Monday to seek clarification.
In a similar incident in May, Meta had restored Facebook posts by Anwar concerning his meeting with Haniyeh, citing an error in the removal.
It is worth mentioning that Malaysia, a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, has warned that firm action could be taken against Meta and other social media companies if they block pro-Palestinian content on their platforms.
