Palestinian News Sites Receive Facebook Apology after being Suspended

Officials at Facebook were quick to offer apologies to two Palestinian news sites after both were suspended for a short time and reactivated after the social media giant investigated. West Bank based Quds News Network (5.2 million likes) and Shehab News Agency (6.35 million likes) found their pages out unavailable on Friday for several hours. Facebook apparently was acting in response to complaints regarding the nature and/or content of the respective sites, but said the restored both “as soon as we were able to investigate.” Although the company declined to elaborate on the complaints or identify the source, it’s widely believed that the temporary time out is somehow related to the discussions between Facebook and the Israeli government about pro-Palestinian organizations using it for incitement to violence. The managing editor of Shehab, which is located in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, called the blackout a “political decision dictated by the Israelis.”