20,000 Israelis sue Facebook
Legal NGO files class-action suit in New York with over 20,000 Israeli plaintiffs, demanding that the company take responsibility in combating inciting posts.
Washington - A pro-Israel legal advocacy center is leading a class action against Facebook for incitement, having filed a lawsuit in a New York district court on Monday.
Shurat Hadin, a legal advocacy NGO, has managed to round up 20,000 Israeli parties to its case against the social media giant.
In contrast to the NGO's past lawsuits seeking compensation for terror victims, the organization has now filed for an injunction against Facebook, which would force the site to close all pages inciting for violence against Israelis, as well as mandating the monitoring and blocking of future pages featuring incitement.
Since the breakout of recent hostilities, hundreds of Israelis have asked Facebook's management to find a remedy for the many inciting posts.
The company has claimed that it is solely a means of communication, and is not responsible for user-posted content.
Shurat Hadin has joined a number of organizations in demanding that Facebook take accountability over content posted on its site. "Our goal is to put an end to it, and have the court declare that Facebook is responsible," they said.
The NGO believes a court-issued injunction will help in the fight against terror organizations, including Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and others who use Facebook to issue orders and spread propaganda.
"Last week we were busy drafting citizens who agreed to be partners to the suit, and we garnered the support of 20,000 Israelis," said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the head of Shurat Hadin. "It's a massive number, which proves that every Israeli sitting at home now has something to do against terrorism. Join us now. The importance of such a move is not unlike that of increasing security and seeks to prevent terror acts."
Dozens of inciting posts and videos openly calling for the killing of Israelis and Jews were attached to the suit.
One of the featured post was one by Mohand Halbi, 19, who published a post before embarking on a vehicular and stabbing attack in Jerusalem. "I want to become a martyr," he wrote, and added that the third intifada had broken out over the Al Aqsa mosque. Halbi murdered two Israelis in his rampage – Aharon Benita, and Rabbi Nehemia Lavi.
"Facebook has turned into a haven for terrorists. They post about their intended acts, garner support, receive instructions and guidance on how to murder Jews – and all of this is done under the auspices of a commercial company that could easily stop it.
"While Facebook is satisfied with only words, telling us it intends to 'take down pages of incitement,' the website's pages fill with more and more serious incitement, and we must do whatever it takes to stop it."
