Hamas slams Facebook for limiting its ‘right’ of expression

Hamas demanded that Facebook respect “the right to express their points of view” after the social media platform blocked 100 pages supporting the terrorist organization. 

Hamas slammed Facebook after it blocked more than 100 pages supporting the terrorist organization last Thursday.

Facebook blocked access to the pages after Hamas launched a social media campaign praising Yahya Ayyash, the first person to manufacture bombs for the terrorist group.

Ayyash, the mastermind of several suicide terror attacks against Israelis that killed 76 and wounded 363, was assassinated by Israel in 1996.

“We condemn the arbitrary measures taken by Facebook management against the pages and accounts supporting the Hamas movement,” said Hamas spokesman Husam Badran. “We affirm that those pages have the right to express their points of view just as anyone else does.”

Ironically, many governments and NGOs around the world have condemned Hamas for repressing freedom of expression in the Gaza Strip, which it rules.

In an annual report detailing the situation of Palestinian governance from 2015-2016, Amnesty International criticized Hamas, along with the Palestinian Authority, for “restricted freedom of expression, including by arresting and detaining critics and political opponents.”

The NGO added that both Hamas and the PA “restricted the right to peaceful assembly and used excessive force to disperse some protests.”

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News