Quds News Network (QNN), an independent news outlet popular among Palestinians, has claimed that Facebook’s parent company has removed its page from the social networking site. It accused Meta of aligning with the Israeli government.
“Quds News Network condemns Meta’s complete alignment with the Israeli occupation government and its continuous targeting and restriction of the Palestinian content,” QNN said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday.
The veracity of facts has been crucial in war reporting as many media outlets have been sharing updates and videos from Gaza and Palestine.
Many top foreign media outlets and the White House had to backtrack from their statements about the “beheading of 40 babies by Hamas” after the Israeli army denied having any confirmation of allegations that Hamas fighters committed such atrocities in the Kfar Aza kibbutz region during the conflict.
The QNN shared the update with a picture showing its Facebook page with the title ‘Meta bows to Israel’s request and removes Quds News Network’. According to the news outlet, the development has culminated in the removal of its English and Arabic pages on Facebook, “the largest Palestinian news page with over 10 million followers.”
The network has been operating in both languages for over a decade across various social media platforms, according to QNN.
“During the initial days of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, Meta deliberately removed Palestinian posts, issued warnings and restrictions on Palestinian pages, including Quds News Network in both Arabic and English, despite fully complying with Meta’s defined media standards.”
Upon landing at the QNN’s Facebook page from its link available on Twitter it showed this result.
The news organisation has alleged that the removal of their pages was a clear bias by Meta towards the demands of the Israeli government, suppressing freedom of opinion and expression, and targeting the Palestinian right to convey and cover events to the world.
It rejected the alleged persecution of Palestinian content, the prevailing bias, and standing alongside the Israeli occupation. “We affirm the Palestinians’ right to raise their voice loud and clear and convey their message through media,” the QNN said.
The news organisation called for a broad Arab and international campaign of solidarity with the Palestinian people to convey the Palestinian narrative amidst the “human rights abuses” carried out by the Israel and its violations of all international standards and laws.
The QNN emphasised its independence, ethical commitment, and professionalism in the media message. “It will continue its work and convey the truth through all available platforms and tools.”