Twitter blocks Hamas and Hezbollah in Israel under pressure – Haaretz – Israel News



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Twitter has blocked two accounts belonging to Hamas and has closed or blocked some 35 accounts of Hamas and Hezbollah in Israel.

The action comes about two weeks after the Israeli Minister of Public Security and Strategic Affairs, Gilad Erdan, sent a letter to the CEO and executive chairman of the social network saying that Twitter was "largely irresponsible" content and close the terrorist accounts. "

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Erdan stated in the letter that "to allow terrorist organizations to function freely and to broadcasting their messages via your platform may violate existing Israeli law regarding support for terrorist organizations. "

The letter provided a partial list of Twitter accounts affiliated with terrorist organizations and threatened to sue if they were not withdrawn.

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On Monday, a visit to @hamasinfo's Twitter page from an Israeli computer account indicated that "@ hamasinfo's account was denied in Israel in response to a legal request".

It can be accessed outside of Israel, however, where it contains a warning stating "Caution: This profile may include potentially sensitive content."

In March, Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said groups like Hamas and Hezbollah "have opted for Twitter on Facebook." Shaked said the reason was "the fruitful cooperation between Israel and Facebook". cooperation via Twitter. "

Facebook closed the official handle of the Palestinian Safa news agency in March and had already closed hundreds of Palestinian accounts.

The Israeli government submitted the "Facebook law" in January, which has already adopted the first of three required parliamentary votes. The bill allows the government to ask the courts to order the removal of content that meets the definition of illegal material and represents a real danger to individuals or the state. But it also creates an option to obtain an ex parte decision to remove content in an expedited process that does not conform to standard proof rules. This provision has been severely criticized, given its possible implications for freedom of expression.

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