Knesset Slams Social Media Giants for Inaction on Arabic Anti-Semitism

By: TPS Staff

Members of the Knesset’s Aliyah, Absorption and Diaspora Committee had harsh words for the social media giants over their inaction in the combat of anti-Semitism published in their platforms, especially in Arabic.

At a hearing held in the Committee on Monday for Twitter, Facebook, Google and TikTok on the subject of anti-Semitism on their networks, the Ministry of Diaspora presented data produced by its anti-Semitism monitoring center showing that they did virtually nothing on the issue.

The Ministry presented examples of very serious anti-Semitic incitement in Facebook groups in Arabic, which include Holocaust denial, blaming the Jews for the Holocaust, classical anti-Semitism and new anti-Semitism.

Yogev Crescenti, director of the fight against anti-Semitism at the Ministry of Diaspora, raised serious questions in the Committee about the extent to which social networks are committed to combating the content of hatred and anti-Semitism spread on their platforms.

Noting that his unit documents hundreds and thousands of anti-Semitic statements every day, he said that the networks need to change their actions and policy to make a difference.

“Focused activity on one post or another does not help reduce the phenomenon over time. In order to combat the phenomenon effectively, it is necessary to change the policy on the part of the networks,” he said.

Diaspora Minister Omer Yankelevich stated that “freedom of expression ends where anti-Semitic incitement begins.”

“Social networks must take responsibility for the content published on their platforms. The forgiveness for anti-Semitic messages in the Arabic language is unbearable,” she said

“The long nose of the Jew in an Arabic newspaper is no different from the long nose in the English or French press, anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism,” she underscored.

She demanded that social media networks immediately close the anti-Semitic group,” becoming partners in the fight to eradicate the phenomenon and not encouraging it by allowing anti-Semitic and inciting content to be uploaded online.”

Member of Knesset (MK) Michal Cotler-Wunsch said she “once again demanded from Twitter to review its policy that allows for double standards” and reminded them “that Hezbollah and Iran are praising Twitter for not censoring tweets calling for the destruction of the only Jewish state in the world. That is not something to be proud of.”

As for Google’s policy, she said it “sounds good on paper but unfortunately we do not see results on the ground. Google is unable to deal with the phenomenon of modern anti-Semitism that includes double standards against the State of Israel and against Zionism.”

(TPS)