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Meta announced on Tuesday its intention to consider the word "martyr" as neutral under certain conditions, allowing its use on Instagram and Facebook without typically resulting in content removal.

The company explained in a statement on its website that this decision aligns with recommendations 1 and 3 from its Oversight Board, permitting the use of the word "martyr" in all contexts unless the content violates company policies or is accompanied by one or more of what it considers the "three violence signals."

Meta clarified that in its responses last May, it committed to a classification process to review the types of content allowed on its platforms, considering only the three violence signals identified by the board instead of the broader set of six signals initially proposed by the company.

The company requested an advisory opinion on content policy and violence signals, including those suggested by the board, such as any visual depiction of a weapon, phrases indicating intent or support for using or carrying weapons, or references to a classified event.

Meta added, "Initial assessment results indicate that continuing to remove content when the word 'martyr' is paired with violating content—or when the three violence signals identified by the Oversight Board are present—detects the most harmful content without disproportionately impacting freedom of expression."

Previously, the Oversight Board for Meta platforms called on the company in late March to end its comprehensive ban on the Arabic word "martyr" or "shaheed" in English.

This call came after a year-long review found that Facebook's approach was a significant error, causing "widespread" harm and unnecessarily suppressing the speech of millions of users, according to a Reuters report.

Until now, Meta's policy classified the word "martyr" as part of what it considered "terrorism," before this shift to a neutral stance.

In parallel with its destructive war on Gaza since October 7, the Israeli occupation and its supporters have been waging a fierce battle against Palestinian content on social media platforms.

While attempts to suppress the Palestinian narrative continue, the Israeli narrative, including violent incitement and hate speech, is given free rein.

Reports and organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly indicated that Meta's policies have increasingly silenced pro-Palestinian voices on Instagram and Facebook amid the Israeli war on Gaza.

Human Rights Watch stated in a report obtained by Al Jazeera that there is a pattern of unjustified removal and suppression of pro-Palestinian content, including peaceful expression and public discussion of Palestinian human rights.

Debra Brown, acting director of the Technology and Human Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, said that Meta's censorship of pro-Palestinian content "makes matters worse amid the atrocities and severe repression that already stifle Palestinian expression."

Additionally, rights activists and former Facebook officials, speaking on Al Jazeera's investigative program "What is Hidden is Greater" aired late last year, acknowledged targeting Arab and Palestinian content on social media platforms.

Israeli press. Websites