KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government said Monday it had met with Meta representatives to demand an apology and explanation as to why posts about the death of a Hamas leader were removed from the prime minister’s social media accounts.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s office said his posts on Facebook and Instagram about Ismail Haniyeh’s death had been removed last week by parent company Meta.
The political leader of Palestinian armed group Hamas was killed in Tehran on Wednesday, in an attack blamed on Israel, which has not directly commented on it.
Anwar’s posts included a video showing the premier on a phone call with a Hamas official, offering his condolences.
On Instagram, there was a note by Meta, shared by Anwar, that the posts were taken down because of association with “dangerous individuals and organizations.”
Israel, the United States and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
In a statement on Monday, the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said it “views Meta’s actions as discriminatory, unjust, and a blatant suppression of free expression.”
“It is also seen as an affront to the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people in their pursuit of justice and human rights.”
The PMO said it was demanding a public apology and a detailed explanation from Meta.
Anwar accused the tech giant of “cowardice” last week for removing his posts.
Malaysian authorities have previously chided Meta for removing posts as well as for not taking down what officials deemed as harmful content fast enough.
Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Last year, Human Rights Watch said “Meta’s policies and practices were silencing voices in support of Palestine and Palestinian human rights on Instagram and Facebook.”
Anwar, who met Haniyeh in Qatar in May, has defended Malaysia’s ties with the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group, which launched a deadly attack against Israel on October 7 that triggered the war in Gaza.
Anwar stressed during a visit to Germany in March that Malaysia’s links were with Hamas’s political wing and not with its military arm.
Malaysia summons Meta over removed PM posts about Hamas leader
https://arab.news/y4a74
Malaysia summons Meta over removed PM posts about Hamas leader
- Anwar’s posts included a video showing the premier on a phone call with a Hamas official, offering his condolences
Trump says “it will be done” on getting “Russian threat” away from Greenland
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Denmark has not been able to do anything to get the “Russian threat” away from Greenland, and said, “Now it is time, and it will be done!!!“
“NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that “you have to get Russian threat away from Greenland.” Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it,” Trump wrote in a post on the social media website he owns called Truth Social.
The White House, the Danish Presidency in the European Union, and Denmark’s foreign affairs ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment.
Trump has repeatedly insisted he will settle for nothing less than ownership of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have insisted the island is not for sale and does not want to be part of the United States.
Trump on Saturday vowed to implement a wave of increasing tariffs on European allies until the United States is allowed to buy Greenland.
The encroaching presence of China and Russia makes Greenland vital to US security interests, Trump has said. Danish and other European officials have pointed out that Greenland is already covered by NATO’s collective security pact.
