TikTok Bans Pro-Israel Content, But Allows ‘Free Palestine’

by times news cr

2024-07-17 13:57:35

The parliamentary committee on Aliyah, Absorption and Diaspora held a meeting on July 17 to discuss government plans to combat anti-Semitism on social media.

TikTok Israel representatives acknowledged that the platform’s policy prohibits government agencies from publishing campaigns with the slogan “Yachad Nenatseah” – “Together we will win.”

Committee Chairman Oded Forer (Yisrael Beiteinu) noted that Israel’s political leadership avoids promoting laws restricting social media, which leads to dangerous consequences.

He stressed that an international campaign to promote anti-Semitic and anti-Israel content is spreading on social media. At the same time, social media administrators such as TikTok are blocking Israel’s attempts to defend itself with counter-campaigns. Forer sees the solution in promoting restrictive legislation, but the government is not doing so.

TikTok Israel’s head of public policy, Liron Rifman, said TikTok “does not take sides in the conflict.” She noted that the platform condemned violence and “carnage,” referring to October 7, and does not allow content that encourages violence.

According to her, the slogan “Together we will win” was political at the beginning of the war, but then the position changed, and it can be published with promotion, but only by non-governmental organizations and companies. Rifman also emphasized that the slogan Free Palestine is not considered a call to violence, and TikTok does not want to see anti-Semitism in the content.

Barak Hershkovitz, a former senior TikTok employee, said that the platform’s administration includes supporters of Hamas, the Houthis, Gaza, and the BDS movement who determine the publication policy. According to him, there is an organization that controls paid campaigns, and it actively works against Israel. Hershkovitz noted that Birthright advertising campaigns were blocked for the phrase “Am Yisrael Chai,” while pro-Palestinian campaigns are carried out with clearer slogans. He said there is a need for a regulator to oversee social networks and called on the state to invest in this area.

Diaspora Ministry spokeswoman Hadas Maimon noted that TikTok does not consider anti-Israel and anti-Zionist slogans to be anti-Semitic and expressed a desire to see data on how the platform identifies anti-Semitic content. According to her, anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, and calls for the destruction of Israel should be considered anti-Semitic.

In conclusion, Oded Forer stressed that the government does not have the tools to combat hate and anti-Semitism on social media. He called on the ministers of justice and communications to pass a law to regulate social media and asked TikTok-Israel to provide data on content removed in Israel, removals due to anti-Semitism, and blocked government publications.

Earlier, Cursor reported that TikTok was hiding posts in support of Israel and Ukraine.

2024-07-17 13:57:35

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