Although Meta does not formally declare its support for Israel as a political or governmental body, its policies and actions do show a complicated and contentious connection that many detractors perceive as being skewed in favor of Israel. Facebook has hosted over 100 sponsored ads endorsing far-right settler activity and illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, raising fears that the social media behemoth is making money off of information that might be against international law.
Ads calling for the destruction of Palestinian playgrounds, schools, and homes were also found, along with requests for donations to Israeli military forces stationed in Gaza. There are many advertisements that have been placed by Israeli real estate firms that are marketing homes within the settlements like Ariel, Ma’ale Adumim, and Efrat. The promotions were made to consumers in the US, UK, and Israel, even though this settlement is illegal according to international law.
The suspicions were raised, and the ads promoted the violation of human rights, demanding to destroy schools, playgrounds, and dwellings of Palestinians. In direct contravention of Meta’s own rules prohibiting the promotion of weapons or ammunition, other advertisements asked for donations for Israeli military units stationed in Gaza, including requests for drones and sniper tripods.
Meta’s review process and response
Meta uses both automated technology and human control in the evaluation process for ads on its platforms. The business claims to have strong teams and procedures in place to evaluate advertisements before their release, mostly depending on automated systems that apply its advertising rules to millions of ads every day. Human reviewers are sometimes used to create, train, and manually evaluate advertisements that the machine has identified. Meta confirmed that some advertisements that promoted illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank were taken down for breaking its social, political, and election regulations, but it did not specify whether or not such advertisements explicitly violated its criteria.
Since the international laws declared all Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal, legal scholars argue that in approving and profiting through such adverts, Meta is at risk of violating international law. Also, the advertisements requesting to donate military equipment could contravene the rules of Meta itself, which do not allow advertising explosives, weapons, or surplus ammo.
Legal and ethical implications
International law declares all Israeli settlements on the occupied West Bank illegal. Meta runs the risk of aiding in violations of international law, including potential war crimes based on the Rome Statute, by promulgating, receiving money, and printing the advertisements facilitating these agreements. Legal professionals caution that Meta may face legal repercussions for participating in illegal acts pertaining to occupation and settlement growth if it permits and profits from these advertisements. Advertisements requesting donations of Israeli military units in Gaza, including demands for weapons and military equipment, may violate international humanitarian law and Meta standards, which prohibit any advertisement promoting weapons, their ammunition, or explosives.
Meta earning money on such ads is an ethical matter since it is suggested that the company is supporting and participating in a system that discriminates against Palestinians and denies them their human rights regularly. Meta is also involved in facilitating violence and dispossession content through advertisements that require the destruction of Palestinian houses, schools, and playgrounds. Experts and campaigners contend that Meta puts financial gain ahead of moral obligation because its algorithms and review procedures have not identified or eliminated these advertisements promptly, allowing them to stay up for extended periods of time.
The case brings to light a larger problem of corporate cooperation in violations of human rights when businesses make money off of content associated with unlawful activity or profession.
Profiting from occupation
Meta’s financial gain from advertisements endorsing illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank is a part of a larger trend in which many businesses, particularly in the IT, real estate, tourism, and military industries, profit from Israel’s occupation and settlement operations.
According to a UN study from 2025, big businesses, including US internet behemoths like Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), and Amazon, are actively supporting Israel’s occupation of Gaza, allowing for the eviction of Palestinians and military actions there. These businesses benefit from technological advancements that improve military capabilities, data processing, and monitoring in the occupied regions.
International law prohibits many businesses from operating directly in or offering services to Israeli settlements. This covers businesses in utilities, real estate, tourism, and construction. Sites like TripAdvisor, for instance, have come under fire for endorsing tourist destinations run by settlers on Palestinian territory, so supporting the settlement economy.
Some businesses provide military hardware, ammunition, and surveillance systems used in the invasions and occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. Hardware and software essential to Israeli military operations have been supplied by companies such as Cisco and Cellebrite, solidifying the occupation and related violations of human rights.
UN’s role in Meta
Israel’s continuous occupation and alleged genocidal acts continue in part because they are lucrative for numerous businesses and investors, according to UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. Because of this financial motivation, a system with little control and accountability is established, enabling businesses to profit monetarily while supporting abuses of human rights. In this regard, a similar dynamic can be seen in Meta’s approval and monetization of advertisements supporting unlawful settlements and military unit funding. Meta makes money from content that upholds and normalizes the occupation in spite of its claimed ad screening procedures, which is similar to the collusion observed in other industries.
What is the role of Meta?
According to whistleblower accounts and internal leaks, Meta has agreed with 94% of takedown orders from the Israeli government, making Israel the world’s leading source of content removal requests. This has amounted to the biggest mass-censorship initiative of the pro-Palestinian ideology in the world. To indicate their sensitivity to content that is considered antisemitic, Meta has expanded its implementation of its hate speech policies to encompass posts that target individuals who are referred to as Zionists in cases where it is meant to refer to Jews or Israelis. This has, however, equally attracted criticism for creating an atmosphere of choking common sense debate on Israel and Palestine.
Meta claims publicly that it undertakes due diligence on legal and human rights matters and also gives due consideration to content and takedown requests, as well as not removing such content solely on the government’s request. The critics respond that the involvements of the company mute the voices of Palestinians and promotes Israeli stories immodestly.
Though it is normal for a multinational tech-based company and not entirely a sign of its political support, Meta has an office in Israel and works together in teams to produce goods and services in the country, which is a sign of the company’s presence and interest in the Israeli market.
End up
Although Meta has not been politically friendly to Israel, the company has effectively aided and supported Israeli government and settlement interests under its platform policies, enforcement practices, and ad approvals, calling on Palestinian rights and forms of expression. The perception that the actions of Meta imply de facto support of Israeli policies and deeds, especially when it comes to censorship and stimulation of illegal settlement, has received a lot of criticism.
