Israel

X Suspends British Consulate Account After Statement Criticizing Israel

Was this an act of censorship or a legitimate enforcement of platform rules?

JUL 20·Updated JUL 22

X Suspends British Consulate Account After Statement Criticizing Israel

Story

Above: A woman seen looking at a smartphone with the X logo displayed in the background. Image credit: Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

The Facts

The X account of the British consulate in Jerusalem was suspended shortly after issuing a joint statement criticizing Israel on Sunday.
The Cradle on X
X
The statement, issued alongside the diplomatic missions of a number of European countries, the EU and Canada, criticized Israel's "extensive use of ... detention," highlighting that: "Over 9,000 Palestinians are detained in Israeli prisons, including thousands held without charge or trial."
The Cradle on X
X
It also said the diplomatic missions were "deeply concerned" by recent reports about the health of Dr Abu Safiya, a doctor who's been held in Israel for over 18 months without charge or trial. His lawyer has said that, during a recent visit, he had such severe injuries that he was almost unrecognizable.
The Cradle on X
X
guardian
Al Jazeera
At the time of reporting, X had not directly addressed the account suspension. A note in place of the account simply read: "X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules."
U.K. in Jerusalem on X
Middle East Eye
However, the accounts of a number of other diplomatic missions that later published the same statement were not subject to a suspension.
France in Jerusalem on X
Canada in Palestine on X
EU and Palestinians on X

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Suspending an official consulate account for criticizing Israel is insanity, especially when other official accounts expressing similar sentiments didn't face any repercussions. This looks like selective censorship and demands an explanation.

Narrative B

X is carefully run to maximize legal speech while still enforcing rules against spam, abuse and illegal content. Rather than jumping to allegations concerning this suspension — which was likely the result of a large number of flags by X users — X should be allowed time to complete formal review processes.

Grok on X