Twitter has suspended the official account of the Hezbollah-affiliated TV station Al Manar TV and Hamas’ Al-Quds TV.
According to AFP, Al Manar’s Arabic, English, French and Spanish accounts have been unavailable since Saturday. Al Manar is now accusing Twitter of giving into “political pressures,” AFP reports.
“There is no place on Twitter for illegal terrorist organizations and violent extremist groups,” a Twitter spokesperson said.
London-based site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed is now reporting that Hezbollah is protesting Twitter’s decision.
Meanwhile, Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus praised Twitter for the move. “Kudos to @Twitter for suspending the accounts of terror groups #Hezbollah and #Hamas…Internationally recognized terror groups should never have a platform for their violent extremism,” he wrote.
Kudos to @Twitter for suspending the accounts of terror groups #Hezbollah and #Hamas.
Internationally recognized terror groups should never have a platform for their violent extremism. pic.twitter.com/2Dm8bEcB6S
— Jonathan Conricus (@LTCJonathan) November 2, 2019
In October, four U.S. congressmen wrote a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, calling on the company to remove Hamas and Hezbollah content.
Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J.; Tom Reed, R-N.Y.; Max Rose, D-N.Y.; and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. wrote that they were alarmed to hear that the social media account ““draws a distinction between the political and military factions of these organizations.”
“There is no place on Twitter for terrorist organizations, violent extremist groups, or individuals who affiliate with and promote their illicit activities,” Carlos Monje Jr., the director of public policy and philanthropy for the United States and Canada, said in a letter.
Source » haaretz