Malaysia PM outraged over removal of Facebook post on Haniyeh assassination
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1 of 2 Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim leaves Japan's prime
minister's official residence after a meeting with Japanese Prime
Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, Japan, May 23, 2024. FRANCK
ROBICHON/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
[1/2]Malaysian
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim leaves Japan's prime minister's official
residence after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in
Tokyo, Japan, May 23, 2024. FRANCK ROBICHON/Pool via REUTERS/File
Photo Purchase Licensing Rights KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday accused Meta Platforms
(META.O), opens new tab of cowardice after his Facebook post on the assassination of Hamas leader
Ismail Haniyeh was removed, in his government's latest run-in with the firm over blocked content.
Muslim-majority
Malaysia is a supporter of the Palestinian cause and Anwar had posted a
video recording of his phone call with a Hamas official to offer
condolences over Haniyeh's death, which was later removed.
Haniyeh's
assassination in Iran on Wednesday has added fuel to concern the conflict in Gaza was turning into a wider Middle East war.
Anwar,
who met Haniyeh in Qatar in May, has said he has good relations with
the Hamas political leadership but no links on a military level.
"Let this serve as a clear and unequivocal message to Meta: Cease this display of cowardice," Anwar posted on his Facebook page.
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Malaysia's
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said an explanation had been
sought from Meta and it was unclear whether the posts were automatically
removed, or taken down following a complaint.
Meta
has designated Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that governs
Gaza, as a "dangerous organisation" and bans content praising the group.
It also uses a mix of automated detection and human review to remove or
label graphic visuals.
Malaysia has previously
complained to Meta over its takedown of content, including local media coverage of Anwar's last meeting with Haniyeh, which was
later restored.
Meta
at the time said it was not deliberately suppressing voices on its
Facebook platform and was not restricting content supporting the
Palestinians.
Malaysia has long advocated a two-state solution for the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Reporting by Danial Azhar; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Christopher Cushing