Palestinian reporter 'restricted by Facebook for sharing imprisoned politician's message about dead daughter' has permissions reinstated: report

Palestinian reporter 'restricted by Facebook for sharing imprisoned politician's message about dead daughter' has permissions reinstated: report
The message reportedly leading to restrictions was penned by Palestinian parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar for her daughter's funeral, which she was not permitted to go to.
2 min read
20 July, 2021
The message reportedly attracting the restrictions had been read out at Khalida Jarrar's daughter's funeral [AFP/Getty]

Facebook has reinstated the permissions of a Palestinian reporter's account after his access was restricted after posting a message from imprisoned Palestinian parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar about her dead daughter, according to reports.

The limits on Omar Nazzal's account, enacted last week, were lifted on Tuesday, Haaretz claimed.

The Israeli daily reported that the message from Jarrar, who belongs to the Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was her second since becoming aware of her daughter Suha's passing.

Suha lost her life after suffering a severe heart attack, according to the PFLP.

Israeli prison authorities did not permit the jailed politician to attend her child's funeral, held last Tuesday, Haaretz said.

Instead, she penned a heartfelt message that was read out at the ceremony and shared across social networking sites, including Facebook.

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In it, Jarrar said: "This is an intense human summary of the life of a Palestinian who loves life, hope and freedom, and hates slavery and colonialism."

She said Israel deprives Palestinians of "everything, even the air we breathe".

In a reference to her daughter, she highlighted that Israeli authorities prohibited her "from saying goodbye to my little bird Suha".

Jarrar is currently serving a two-year jail term. She is due for release in four months' time.

Nazzal received a communication from Facebook explaining that he was not allowed to "go live or advertise for 60 days" after posting her message.

According to a screenshot shared by Nazzal, Facebook said he had broken their Community Standards, specifically mentioning the rules "on dangerous individuals and organizations", adding that his post would therefore be visible just to him.

The message from Jarrar that Nazzal published on the site was sent five hours prior to this, Haaretz reported.

Omar Nazzal is a personal friend of the family and has previously been administratively incarcerated by Israel.

He was the person to locate Suha after she passed away at her Ramallah residence since her dad and sister could not reach her.

Jarrar's daughter Suha, 31, was a researcher and social justice activist. She wrote for The New Arab about her mother's incarceration in 2015.

Facebook was previously subject to a wave of negative reviews on mobile app stores in May after allegations of censorship concerning pro-Palestine messages.

The New Arab has approached Facebook for comment regarding Omar Nazzal's case.