Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has criticized Meta for “cowardice” after the company removed his Facebook post regarding the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Historically, Malaysia has been a supporter of the Palestinian cause, and Anwar has repeatedly condemned Israel’s military actions in Gaza and the occupied territories of the West Bank.
Following Haniyeh’s death in Iran, the Malaysian leader shared a video of his phone call with a Hamas representative to extend his condolences. However, this post was removed by Meta, which is owned by American billionaire Mark Zuckerberg. A similar post on Anwar’s Instagram account was also deleted by Meta.
In a statement to the state news agency Bernama, Anwar said, “Let this be a clear and unequivocal message to Meta: stop this display of cowardice and cease being tools of the oppressive Zionist Israeli regime.” The removal of the posts was accompanied by a message that read “Dangerous individuals and organizations.”
Anwar, who met with Haniyeh in Qatar in May, has asserted that he maintains good relations with Hamas’ political leadership, but no military connections. Haniyeh has visited Malaysia over the years in his capacity as Hamas’ political leader.
Meta has not provided an immediate response. Malaysia’s Minister of Communications, Fahmi Fadzil, indicated that a clarification has been requested from Meta, and it remains unclear whether the posts were deleted automatically or as a result of a complaint. Meta classifies Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs Gaza, as a “dangerous organization” and prohibits content that praises the group. The company employs a combination of automated detection and human review to remove or label graphic content.
Previously, Malaysia has protested to Meta regarding the removal of content, including media coverage of Anwar’s recent meeting with Haniyeh, which was later restored. At that time, Meta stated that they do not intentionally suppress voices on Facebook and do not restrict content that supports Palestinians.
Malaysia has long aimed to promote a two-state solution in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.