Meta to remove posts using "Zionist" in dehumanizing context

Shafaq News/ Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced plans to remove any post containing the term "Zionist" when it is used to refer to Jews or Israelis in a dehumanizing manner.

According to AFP, Meta stated, "We will now remove messages that target 'Zionists' in several contexts, where our investigation has shown that the term tends to be used to refer to Jews and Israelis, with dehumanizing comparisons, calls for harm, or denial of their existence."

Meta, based in California, launched a study five months ago to understand how the term is used on its platforms, driven by the increasingly polarized public discourse due to events in the Middle East. This research involved historians, human rights experts, and various organizations, aiming to clarify whether the term referred to supporters of a political movement, Jews, or Israelis.

The study concluded that there is no broad consensus on what people mean when they use the term "Zionist." However, based on their findings and the term's use in hateful attacks against Jews and Israelis, Meta decided to remove content targeting "Zionists" with hate speech.

Examples provided in the statement included claims that "Zionists" control the world or the media, dehumanizing comparisons such as likening them to pigs, filth, or insects, and calls for physical violence.

Previously, Meta's moderators removed posts comparing Zionists to rats or when Jews or Israelis were explicitly targeted.

In a separate move, Meta recently relaxed its rules regarding the use of the word "martyr" in Arabic, which had been banned on its platforms as incitement to hatred.