Malaysian PM's Condolences For Ismail Haniyeh Deleted On Instagram And FB, Allegedly Meta Leaders

Pertemuan Perdana Menteri (PM) Anwar Ibrahim dengan seorang pemimpin Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh pada 14 Mei 2024. (FB Anwar Ibrahim)

JAKARTA - Prime Minister (PM) Anwar Ibrahim's condolences for the death of Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, were removed by Instagram and Facebook.

It is suspected that the effort to remove the upload was carried out by the highest level of the Southeast Asian Meta Platforms Inc (Meta) team.

Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said his party had confirmed the deletion of the upload with Meta management at the Southeast Asian level.

As early as possible, Meta at the Southeast Asian level hinted that it was not those who deleted PM Anwar's uploads from Facebook and Instagram.

"There is a possibility that this involves a higher-level decision. The Meta team in the region is also confused about why that happened, so I don't blame them, because this is not an action from their side," Fahmi said, quoted by The Sun Daily, Friday, August 2.

"So, we are waiting for further explanation," he continued.

Fahmi considers that Meta's efforts to remove social media uploads are a joke because it contradicts what the company's country of origin has touted.

"It's quite funny because the United States talks about freedom of expression and freedom of speech. So in the case of Meta, I think they really have to practice what they lecture. Otherwise, it's just pollutation," he said.

Haniyeh, who is also a former Palestinian PM, was reportedly killed in an air strike targeting his residence in Tehran, Iran, in the early hours of July 31.