Facebook blocks Palestinian news agency's page

In this photo illustration, the Meta logo is displayed on the screen of an iPhone in front of a Facebook logo on 29 October 2021 [Chesnot/Getty Images]

Facebook yesterday blocked the Quds Press Agency’s page without prior warning, the news organisation said.

The Facebook action comes a few days after the agency covered the repercussions of Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and racist actions by settlers in the Flags March, Quds Press said in a statement. It added that the move was an effort to quash the Palestinian narrative and grant a wider space for Israeli sources.

Over the years Facebook as repeatedly removed the pages of Palestinian news organisations and its sister company, Instagram has been accused of silencing Palestinian voices by muting posts on Palestine.

Quds Press called on Facebook to reverse its decision, stressing that the agency’s website would continue to provide media content, pending the launch of new pages, because the battle of awareness waged by Palestinian media organisations will not stop.

Is Facebook censoring Palestine? – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

In 2019, Facebook deleted the page of the Palestinian Information Centre (PIC) in a move, the news site says, which is part of its war on Palestinian content on social media networks.

The site’s management said Facebook provided them with no prior warning before deleting the page, which had nearly five million followers.

READ: 148 Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists in May

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