Video: Facebook ‘Israel policy’ head talks ‘privilege’ of content influence

Former Netanyahu adviser reportedly flagged string of pro-Palestine content for censorship

Jordana Cutler, a former Israeli official now working as head of ‘Israel and the Jewish Diaspora’ policy for Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, was revealed this week by The Intercept to have repeatedly flagged pro-Palestine messages accounts on Instagram for removal or censorship, particularly but not exclusively those by the group Students for Justice for Palestine (SJP).

Internal policy discussions show that Cutler used the company’s content escalation channels to flag the SJP account and other content at odds with Israel’s foreign policy, invoking Meta’s ‘Dangerous Organizations and Individuals’ policy. Meta declined to say whether it ultimately actioned her requests – a different team makes final censorship decisions – or to answer the publication’s questions about the issue, but claimed that highlighting her actions was ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ and that their processes were being misrepresented, but did not say in what way. Cutler did not respond to a request for comment and Meta declined The Intercept’s request to interview her.

Cutler joined Meta eight years ago. Before taking up her role there, she spent years working in the Israeli government, including several years as chief of staff and in public affairs at Israel’s US Embassy in Washington. She has also worked for Israeli K9 PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and for almost five years as his prime ministerial adviser. Her appointment with Meta was celebrated by the notorious Israeli mouthpiece Gilad Erdan, at the time Israel’s minister of public security, who welcomed it as:

an advance in dialogue between the State of Israel and Facebook.

In interviews about her job, Cutler has said that she acts as a liaison between Meta and the Israeli government and presents its perspectives inside the company, including working with its army and intelligence services.

According to The Intercept, Cutler’s actions have included lobbying for posts quoting celebrated Palestinian novelist Ghassan Kanafani, who was assassinated by Israel in 1972, to be removed. She also regularly targeted posts by the SJP’s UCLA chapter, claiming it had been linked to violent protests when in fact it had been targeted for violence by far-right pro-Israel groups and by police that used those attacks as a pretext to assault pro-Palestinian students.

SJP UCLA’s account admin was often unable to access the account. Similarly, SJP at Columbia University reported its account had been deactivated without explanation.

Cutler has also been seen repeatedly campaigning for the censorship of Lebanese satellite TV network Al Mayadeen’s Instagram account after it posted content about the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Former Meta staff have said it is ‘typical’ of her to ‘overreach her authority’s and that she performed a role more like a political government appointee, with one Jordanian former employee saying:

If I was head of public policy for Jordan, and I went on TV and said I represent the interests of Jordan within Meta, I would be fired the second day.

Cutler’s name been touted as a possible future head of Israel’s propaganda office, the Strategic Affairs Ministry, which has reportedly widely used Meta’s platforms to infiltrate student groups and conduct propaganda campaigns.

Speaking at a New York City event titled ‘Fighting Antisemitism Through Tech’, Cutler discussed how she leverages her role to combat “hate speech” and censor voices that threaten the “safety” of Jews – a common complaint of Israel supporters when campus protests have drawn attention to Israel’s genocide in Gaza:

Read the full Intercept article here.

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