Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday accused Meta Platforms of cowardice after his Facebook post about the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was removed, marking another clash between his government and the company over blocked content.
Malaysia strongly supports the Palestinian cause, and Anwar had shared a video of his phone call with a Hamas official to express condolences for Haniyeh's death, which was subsequently removed. Haniyeh's assassination in Iran on Wednesday has heightened fears that the conflict in Gaza could escalate into a broader Middle East war. Anwar, who met Haniyeh in Qatar in May, has stated that he maintains good relations with the Hamas political leadership but has no military ties.
"Let this serve as a clear and unequivocal message to Meta: Cease this display of cowardice," Anwar wrote on his Facebook page. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Malaysia's Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said an explanation had been sought from Meta, and it was unclear whether the posts were automatically removed or taken down following a complaint. Meta has classified Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that governs Gaza, as a "dangerous organisation" and prohibits content praising the group. It also employs a combination of automated detection and human review to remove or label graphic visuals.
Malaysia has previously lodged complaints with Meta over content removal, including local media coverage of Anwar's last meeting with Haniyeh, which was later restored. Meta at the time stated that it was not intentionally suppressing voices on its Facebook platform and was not restricting content supporting the Palestinians. Malaysia has long advocated for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
