Meta Hires Over 100 Former Israeli Soldiers, Raising Alarms Over Bias and Censorship
An explosive investigation reveals Meta's recruitment of ex-IDF members—some from units linked to abuses against Palestinians—deepening concerns over content bias and digital repression.
Watan-In a new scandal reinforcing concerns about the politicization of social media platforms, an investigative report by The Grayzone revealed that Meta (formerly Facebook) employs over 100 former soldiers from the Israeli occupation army, some of whom served in military units implicated in violations against Palestinians. The revelations have sparked a storm of questions about the platform’s neutrality and its commitment to freedom of expression.
The investigation highlighted that many of these employees hold sensitive positions within Meta’s artificial intelligence departments, content management, and digital security policies—the very areas involved in monitoring content and silencing Palestinian voices. This coincides with Meta’s aggressive digital crackdown on any content exposing Israeli crimes in Gaza.
Among the notable names mentioned in the report is Shira Anderson, who serves as Head of AI Policy at Meta. She previously volunteered in the Israeli army through the Garin Tzabar program, which enables non-Israeli Jews to enlist in the military. Anderson worked in military public relations and engaged with the Red Cross and military attachés—facts that make her current role at Meta highly controversial.
🔴تفاصيل خطيرة تتكشف.. تحقيق يفـ ـضـ ـح العلاقة المريبة بين “ميتا” وجنود الاحـ ـتلال، ويطرح تساؤلات حول دور الشركة في قـ ـمـ ـع المحتوى الفلسـ ـطـ ـيني على منصات التواصل👇 pic.twitter.com/5AJ2W2GnYM
— وطن. يغرد خارج السرب (@watanserb_news) April 9, 2025
Meta’s Military Ties: Free Speech or Digital Occupation?
The investigation also uncovered the recruitment of several graduates of Unit 8200, Israel’s elite intelligence unit, whose members have been accused of cyber espionage on Palestinians and involvement in digital operations supporting the apartheid system. This places Meta squarely in the crosshairs of accusations of bias and complicity in digital war crimes.
This comes at a time when Meta is facing widespread criticism for its censorship of Palestinian content, including restricting posts, shutting down accounts, and blatantly promoting the Israeli narrative at the expense of truth and human rights.
Experts argue that hiring this number of former soldiers within Meta undermines the company’s transparency and creates a significant conflict of interest, especially given the roles directly tied to information control in a region of intense conflict.
Human rights activists have called for urgent investigations, accountability for Meta’s discriminatory policies, an end to the targeting of the Palestinian narrative, and the safeguarding of a fair and open space for all voices.
So the question remains:Is Facebook and Instagram now being run from inside the Israeli military’s units?
And does Palestine still have a place in a supposedly free digital space?
