Facebook has made a platform more than 100 paid advertisements to promote illegal colonies and an activity of far-right colonists in an occupied West Bank, revealed an investigation by Tel Aviv Tribune, which raises that the social media giant benefits from the content that could violate international law.
Among the advertisements identified, there were also calls for the demolition of Palestinian houses, schools and playgrounds, as well as fundraising calls for Israeli military units operating in Gaza.
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, told Tel Aviv Tribune that all the advertisements broadcast on its platforms had been examined by the company. Although he admitted that certain advertisements had since been abolished to “violate our social problems, our political elections and our policies”, he did not specify whether the promotion of illegal colonies founded on stolen Palestinian lands had violated these standards.
Legal experts told Tel Aviv Tribune that Meta could be an accomplice of violations of international law by approving, accepting payment and publishing these advertisements. Brian Leishman, deputy in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, described the conclusions as “extremely worrying”.
Illegal establishments announced on Facebook
At least 52 paid advertisements with Israeli real estate companies have been found promoting sales of goods in colonies through occupied West Bank, targeting buyers from everywhere Israel as well as certain users of the United Kingdom and the United States. These advertisements were published for the first time in March 2024, and many remain active on Facebook.
“We have robust processes and teams to examine advertisements, and our advertising exam system is designed to examine advertisements before putting online,” Meta told Tel Aviv Tribune. “This system is mainly based on automated technology to apply our advertising standards to millions of announcements that cross our applications, while relying on our teams to build and train these systems, and in some cases, to manually examine advertisements.”
Among the advertisements identified by Tel Aviv Tribune, there were at least four sales of the promotion of property sales in the illegal Israeli colony of Ariel, 20 km (12 miles) east of the green line in occupied West Bank. The announcements, written in Hebrew and targeting Israeli Facebook users, were paid by a Facebook page called “Ramat Aderet”, which is described as offering “penthouses for a perfect quality of life”.
According to the website, the Ramat Aderet project (Hillside Crown) is “two districts – North and South – with a total of 27 … Buildings of 4 to 8 floors. The apartments offer a complete urban life experience in a perfect neighborhood. ” The company has an evaluation of $ 300 million, according to Pitchbook, a research company and a financial data provider.
Ramat Aderet did not respond to the request for comments from Tel Aviv Tribune.
The real estate company selling apartments and houses in Ariel is Ram Aderet, who received funding from the First International Bank of Israel.
The boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) has long called for a boycott of the bank on its role in the financing of illegal establishments. After the pressure, in January 2014, the Dutch PGGM pension fund withdrawn the bank’s investments, while the AXA insurance giant was sold in 2022.
48 other advertisements have been published by Gabai Real Estate, Advertising Homes in the regulations occupied in the West Bank of Ma’Ale Adumim and the EFRAT regulations.
These houses are part of an expansion approved in March 2024 by the “higher planning committee” of Israel, which is supervised by the Minister of Farm Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, who, since 2023, no longer needs political or military approval for expansion plans.
Yaniv Gabbay, co -owner of Gabai Real Estate, told Tel Aviv Tribune: “Unfortunately, we were unable to publish 48 ads only because our budget is limited, and we announce on many different platforms. But as we sell more houses to the Jews who return home to Judea, our advertising budget will increase and that we can publish more. ”
Some Israelis refer to the occupied West Bank like Judea and Samaria, and the far -right government has made a boost to annex the Palestinian territory.
Advertisements are trying to portray life in colonies as idyllic. We list a mansion of eight bedrooms with a “huge garden, a large area (seats over 50), a swimming pool above the floor, a jacuzzi, a sauna, a cold dive and a breathtaking desert mountain view … A dream house just 20 minutes from Jerusalem! Don’t miss! “
Carolina is a platform governance researcher at the Center for Digital Citizens at the University of Northumbria, told Tel Aviv Tribune that “real estate advertisements have been formulated in an expert way as announcements of standard properties, which allows them to escape moderation”.
“Moderators can also be aware of the nuances of international law,” she added.
Under international law, all the Israeli colonies in the West Bank are illegal. The transfer of the civilian population of a power occupied in occupied territory is considered a war crime under the Rome status of the International Criminal Court.
Professor Aoife O’Donoghue, expert in international law at Queen’s Belfast University, said: “In the West Bank, property can be purchased and sold private. However, if they have the legal title to sell this land would be very questionable.
“If the Israeli government facilitates it and they are colonies, then they would be in violation of the Third Geneva Convention. Here, the Israeli government has the duty to prevent illegal regulations. ”
Groups of settlers that push demolitions
Tel Aviv Tribune also identified 50 advertisements published by Regavim, a group of far -right settlers founded by Smotrich in 2006, which called for the destruction of Palestinian houses, schools and an aquatic park for children. The group receives funding from the Israeli government via the West Bank colonization councils, as well as Amana, another pro-establishment organization sanctioned by British and American governments.
An advertisement celebrated the demolition of a Palestinian school, boasting: “After our petition, the forces of the civil administration demolished an illegal Palestinian school built in the Herodian nature reserve … This school is only on more than 100 illegal school buildings.”
Another advertisement called for the demolition of a Palestinian water park, saying: “The Palestinians have fun at our expense.”
Regavim defended the campaign against school, saying that it was “built for the sole purpose of creating a confrontation”.
“(He) was considered by (Israeli) courts to present a very serious and imminent danger for the security and well-being of Palestinian children who were by bus to fill the makeshift structure,” said Naomi Linder Kahn of Regim.
The European Union has already condemned the demolition of schools in the West Bank, and Human Rights Watch described practice as “discriminatory and violates children’s right to education”.
In October of last year, nearly 90 American legislators urged the president of the time, Joe Biden, to impose sanctions in Regavim.
Regavim denies being an extreme right group or settlers, claiming rather to be a “professional contributor for the general public to the public speech and is a frequent participant in the discussion and the debate on national policies”.
But Leishman, the British deputy, said: “The revelations that Israeli pro -sorting groups as well as businesses – and even active Israeli soldiers – can use social media to promote what could be considered illegal under international law is extremely worrying.”
Communications Faceboiss for Israeli soldiers in Gaza
Beyond the expansion of regulations, Meta also has platform fundraising advertisements for Israeli military units operating in Gaza, even after the declaration of a ceasefire.
Legal experts claim that the authorization of these advertisements can violate international humanitarian law by promoting military operations in occupied territory.
Nine advertisements, paid by Israeli singer Mayer Malik, asked for donations for elite teams, drone units and special forces battalions deployed in Gaza. An advertising, always active on Facebook, reads as follows: “We need tripods urgently to finish our mission to Jabalia.”
Other advertisements have requested funding for drones for the Yasar battalion and an Israeli elite army unit in Rafah, as well as night vision glasses for the Golani brigade.
Malik did not respond to two requests for comments from Tel Aviv Tribune.
According to Meta’s advertising guidelines, “Ads must not promote the sale or use of weapons, ammunition or explosives. This includes announcements for weapons modification accessories. ”
Professor Neve Gordon by Queen Mary University, in the United Kingdom, said: “Facebook earns money with criminal activities.
“By allowing third parties to publish such advertisements, Facebook becomes an accomplice of their criminal activity, because the advertisements themselves play a role in the acts of money laundering, standardization and legitimization which, according to international humanitarian and the law of Rome, are blatant crimes.”
Leishman added: “Social media giants should be much more cautious about what they allow you to appear on their platforms, rather than enjoying organizations with a dangerous and dividing program.
“It is time for them to start assuming responsibility so that they are not accomplices in systematic violations of international law.
“Everyone is forced not to recognize, help or help maintain the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territory – social media giants are not exempt or above the law.”
