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United Methodists are responding to Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth ,a statement of faith and urgent call to action from Christians in Palestine. UMKR seeks, through nonviolent means and in partnership with Palestinian Christians, freedom, justice and equality for all Palestinians and Israelis.
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See the campaign website
Whatâs happening at Facebook?
Right now, Facebook is reaching out to stakeholders to ask if critical conversations that use the term âZionistâ fall within the rubric of hate speech as per Facebookâs Community Standards. Basically, Facebook is assessing if âZionistâ is being used as a proxy for âJewish people or Israelisâ in attacks on its platform.
This move is part of a concerning pattern of the Israeli government and its supporters pressuring Facebook and other social media platforms to expand their hate speech policies to include speech critical of Israel and Zionism.
Facebook says it will make a decision as soon as the end of February 2021.
Why is this happening?
The Israeli government and its supporters falsely claim that equating âZionistâ with âJewâ or âJewishâ will help fight antisemitism. In reality, they hope that that by mischaracterizing critical use of the term âZionistsâ as anti-Jewish, they can avoid accountability for its policies and actions that violate Palestinian human rights.
Attempts to stifle conversations about Zionist political ideology and Zionist policies carried out by state actors â both of which have real implications for Palestinian and Israeli people, as well as Jewish and Palestinian people around the world â are part of an emerging pattern of political censorship by the Israeli government and some of its supporters.
SEE NEWS AND COMMENTARY ON THIS ISSUE & CAMPAIGNâ¨
What would the result be?
If Facebook does move to restrict use of the word Zionist, this would block important conversations on the worldâs largest social media platform, harm Facebook users attempting to connect across space and difference, and deprive Palestinians of a critical venue for expressing their political viewpoints to the world.
What should Facebook do?
Facebook should allow us to hold governments accountable â not shield governments from accountability. It should refuse to cooperate with governments and politicians who are hoping to shut down our conversations and build more walls to keep us apart. That means Facebook should make sure we can discuss, debate, and even disagree about political ideologies like Zionism, about government policies and actions and accountability, and about our lives and families â as part of our commitment to safety for Palestinian people and Jewish people wherever they are in the world.
Learn more at the campaign's website
and while you're there, check out the Social Media toolkits
Watch the video of 52,000+ signatures on the "Facebook, We Need to Talk" Petition being delivered to 17 Facebook offices around the world:
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You can still sign the petition! Signatures are still being collected - see the petition to Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook CEO and COO at the link below. Use the orange button at the bottom of that page to sign it:
Go to the petition
Check back in late March and April 2021 for more action
on this campaign.
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News & Commentary
Middle East Eye:
Facebook reassurances on âZionistâ hate speech policy met with skepticism
Jewish and Palestinian activists, awaiting a final decision, remain largely unconvinced a slated new policy wonât stifle free speech See this
+972 Magazine:
Is Facebook about to crack down on criticism of Zionism?
Palestine advocates have long charged Facebook with suppressing criticism of Israel. Now they fear the company will escalate its censorship using a single keyword. See this
Jacobin Magazine:
Sorry, Anti-Zionism Still Doesnât Equal Antisemitism
The struggle against Israeli apartheid has nothing to do with antisemitism â and everything to do with winning liberation for colonized Palestinians. See this
The Guardian:
Facebook might censor criticism of Zionists. Thatâs dangerous, by Rabbi Alissa Wise, JVP
By making âZionistsâ a de facto protected category, Facebook would shield the Israeli government from accountability and harm efforts to dismantle antisemitism. See this
The Verge:
Facebook is getting pulled into a fight about the politics of Israel
Thereâs a growing debate over how moderators should treat the term âZionist.' See this
Haaretz:
Facebook Draws Ire After Employee Says the Site Could Police the Term âZionistsâ
Facebook debuted a new pop-up last week aimed at combating Holocaust denial on the platform. See this
Mondoweiss:
Activists urge Facebook not to censor anti-Zionist content
If Facebook decides to equate âZionismâ or âZionistâ with âJudaismâ or âJewishâ, it would penalize any criticism of Zionist policies on the platform, a move that groups say could disproportionately effect Palestinians who criticize Israelâs policies in the occupied territories. See this
25 February 2021: Activists deliver petition with over 50,000 signature to Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California.
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