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<h1 id="reader-title">Facebook disables accounts of Palestinian
editors</h1>
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<figure class="file file-image file-image-jpeg
media-element file-figure figure__right" id="file-41521"><source
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<p class="node__submitted">
<span class="field field-author"><a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/people/ali-abunimah"
typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label
skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ali Abunimah</a></span>
<span class="field field-blog">- </span><span
class="field field-publication-date"><span
class="date-display-single" property="dc:date"
datatype="xsd:dateTime"
content="2016-09-23T15:39:33+00:00">23 September
2016</span></span><br>
</p>
<p>Editors at two of the most widely read Palestinian
online publications have had their Facebook accounts
disabled.</p>
<p>Administrators for the Facebook pages of <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/QudsN/"><em>Quds</em></a>,
which has more than five million “likes,” and <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/ShehabAgency.MainPage/">Shehab
News Agency</a>, which has more than six million,
found they could not access their accounts on Friday.</p>
<p>Ezz al-Din al-Akhras, a supervisor at <em>Quds</em>,
told The Electronic Intifada that at around 2pm, three
of the publication’s editors found their accounts
disabled.</p>
<p>The same thing has happened to five editors at <em>Shehab
News Agency</em>, a news editor for that publication
told The Electronic Intifada.</p>
<p>Both organizations are still publishing to Facebook as
some editors can still access their accounts.</p>
<h2>Censorship</h2>
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<p><em>Quds</em> provided this screenshot showing what
happened when one of their adminstrators tried to log in
to his Facebook account.</p>
<p>Both believe that the suspensions are directly related
to an <a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/12/facebook-israel-monitor-posts-incite-violence-social-media?CMP=twt_gu">agreement</a>
between Facebook and the Israeli government to
collaborate in monitoring what Israel claims is
“incitement” by Palestinians.</p>
<p>“The joint Facebook-Israel censorship efforts, needless
to say, will be directed at Arabs, Muslims and
Palestinians who oppose Israeli occupation,” <em>The
Intercept’s</em> Glenn Greenwald <a
href="https://theintercept.com/2016/09/12/facebook-is-collaborating-with-the-israeli-government-to-determine-what-should-be-censored/">wrote</a>
of the agreement earlier this month.</p>
<p>“There has been no given reason for closing the
accounts,” <em>Quds’</em> al-Akhras said. “We believe
this is the result of the agreement between Israel and
Facebook. It is very strange that Facebook would take
part in such an agreement, given that it is supposed to
be a platform for free expression and journalism.”</p>
<p>Al-Akhras said that it was particularly dismaying that
Facebook would take this action as <em>Quds</em> got
its start in 2011 as a Facebook-only platform.</p>
<p>It only launched its own <a href="http://www.qudsn.ps">website</a>
and began using other social media platforms later on.</p>
<p>“We learned what journalism and freedom of expression
are using Facebook,” al-Akhras said, adding that <em>Quds</em>
was the first Palestinian publication to systematically
use the platform for crowdsourcing news and verifying
events all over Palestine.</p>
<p>Its reports, usually accompanied by photos and videos,
are frequently cited by The Electronic Intifada.</p>
<h2>Jailing journalists</h2>
<p>Over the past year, Israel has tried to blame an
upsurge in confrontations between Palestinians in the
occupied West Bank, on the one hand, and its soldiers
and settlers, on the other, on “incitement” in social
media.</p>
<p>It has <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/israel-imprisons-journalist-facebook-status">jailed
a number of Palestinians</a>, including journalists,
for posting news and criticism of Israel’s occupation on
Facebook.</p>
<p>Palestinian journalist Samah Dweik was <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/israel-releases-journalist-jailed-social-media-posts">released
on Monday</a> after six months in prison for alleged
incitement on Facebook.</p>
<p>In July, the Mossad-linked lawfare group Shurat HaDin <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/mossad-linked-group-sues-facebook-1-billion">filed
a $1 billion lawsuit</a> against Facebook claiming the
company serves as a platform for what Israel calls
“terrorist groups.”</p>
<p>As Greenwald noted, however, the targets have not been
“terrorists” but journalists.</p>
<p>The editor at Shehab said that the censorship campaign
is likely only in its earliest stages and he would not
be surprised if in coming days many more Palestinian
journalists and news organizations are targeted.</p>
<p><em>Quds’</em> al-Akhras said that Facebook’s action
was not just a matter for Palestinians, but harmed free
speech globally.</p>
<p>“This tells any repressive regime that they can rely on
Facebook to shut down the media,” he said.</p>
<p>A request for comment has been sent to Facebook.</p>
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