Meta has reviewed the use of the word “Zionist” on its platforms amid the war between Israel and Hamas

Meta confirmed Friday that it’s evaluating when the word “Zionist” should be considered hate speech, as anti-Semitism surges online amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

The giant technology company that owns Facebook and Instagram confirmed what was published by the Washington Post that it’s considering expanding its hate speech ban to include more uses of this term, especially when it appears to be a bad alternative to the word “Jews” or “Israelis”.

“Given the increasingly polarized public discourse due to events in the Middle East, we believe it is important to evaluate our guidance for reviewing posts that use the term Zionist,” a Meta spokesman.

He added, “While the term Zionist often refers to a person’s faith… it can also be used to refer to the Jewish or Israeli people.”

Meta’s policy prohibits attacks on people on the basis of religion or nationality, which means that the company faces the challenge of discrimination when the word “Zionist” refers to a faith or group of people.

Meta is working to improve how it applies hate speech bans to posts containing the word, according to the Meta company.

Amnesty International researcher and consultant Alia al Ghoussein said the social media giant must be careful that its content policies are not biased against pro-Palestinian voices speaking out against the war.

Ghoussein added in a statement that imposing a comprehensive ban on criticizing “Zionism” or “Zionists” on Meta platforms would restrict the freedom of expression of those trying to draw attention to “the horrific crimes committed by Israeli forces in Gaza”.

Regarding the internal review conducted by Meta, Ghoussein noted, “This proposed review is particularly worrying given the current bad situation in the Gaza Strip”.