KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government announced on Monday that it had met with Meta representatives to demand an apology and explanation for the removal of posts related to the death of a Hamas leader from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s social media accounts.
Last week, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, removed posts by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim regarding Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, who was killed in Tehran on Wednesday. The attack has been attributed to Israel, although Israel has not confirmed this.
The removed posts included a video of Anwar offering condolences to a Hamas official. Meta cited the posts’ association with “dangerous individuals and organizations” as the reason for their removal. Both Israel, the United States, and the European Union classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) criticized Meta’s actions as discriminatory, unjust, and a suppression of free expression, asserting that it undermines the Palestinian people’s struggle for justice and human rights. The PMO is demanding a public apology and a detailed explanation from Meta.
Prime Minister Anwar accused Meta of “cowardice” and has previously criticized the company for not removing harmful content promptly. Last year, Human Rights Watch highlighted concerns about Meta’s policies suppressing pro-Palestinian voices on its platforms.
Anwar, who met with Haniyeh in Qatar in May, has defended Malaysia’s relationship with Hamas, emphasizing that Malaysia engages only with Hamas’s political wing, not its military arm.
