A Palestinian digital rights group, 7amleh, and a researcher from Utrecht University prepared a report arguing that Meta restricts the voice and visibility of Palestinians on its Facebook and Instagram platforms.
The Platformicide of Palestine 2021-2025 examined 3,520 cases submitted to the Palestinian Digital Rights Violations Observatory between January 2021 and December 2025. The study covered measures including account suspensions, post removals, restrictions on live-streaming capabilities and reduced distribution of content to users.
Practices that reduce visibility
The report uses the term “platformicide” to describe the structural erasure of Palestinian participation and visibility on social media through recurring practices.
The study did not conclude that Meta deliberately censored individual users. However, the report argued that repeated restrictions could not be explained solely by isolated technical problems or moderation errors.
An identifiable policy violation was found in 32.5% of the documented cases. Meanwhile, 57.2% of the restrictions for which a reason was provided were imposed under Meta’s Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy.
Content related to the war in Gaza
The share of cases falling under the Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy rose to 71.1% among cases involving journalists. The report argued that the policy, which aims to prevent support for terrorist organizations and violent groups, was applied too broadly to journalists, media organizations, activists and civil society groups covering the war between Palestine and Israel in Gaza.
Account suspensions were the most frequently used sanction, accounting for about one-third of the documented cases. The study also identified less visible restrictions, including reduced reach and filtering in recommendation systems. Users commonly describe these practices as “shadow banning.”
About half of the appeals went unanswered
Meta did not respond to about half of the 2,828 appeals that 7amleh filed on behalf of affected users, the report says.
Meta has previously said it was working to improve the accuracy of moderating Arabic-language content, route cases to reviewers familiar with the relevant Arabic dialects and provide users with clearer explanations of enforcement decisions.
The report called on Meta to commission an independent human rights audit, change how it applies the Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy and strengthen protections for journalistic and public-interest content.
