Facebook defends itself against Israel's terror support claims

Facebook has hit back at accusations it is aiding terrorism, saying there is "no room for content that promotes violence, direct threats, terrorist or hate speeches" on its platform.

The statement, issued to Reuters, comes in response to serious allegations made by Israel's public security minister, Gilad Erdan, who on Saturday accused the social network of undermining the country's policing efforts.

Speaking to Israeli TV station Channel 2, as related by Digital Trends, Erdan said Facebook "has simply become a monster" since the rise of ISIS and what he described as "the wave of terror".

"Facebook today sabotages, it should be known, sabotages the work of the Israeli police, because when the Israeli police approach them and it is regarding a resident of Judea and Samaria, Facebook does not cooperate," Erdan said.

Judea and Samaria is the Israeli government's term for what is more commonly known as the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem.

Erdan also complained that Facebook "sets a very high bar for removing inciteful content and posts" and called for Israeli citizens to "flood [CEO Mark Zuckerberg] in every possible place with the demand to monitor the platform he established and from which he earns billions".

While not responding directly to to Erdan's allegations, Facebook said in a statement: "We work regularly with safety organisations and policymakers around the world, including Israel, to ensure that people know how to make safe use of Facebook. There is no room for content that promotes violence, direct threats, terrorist or hate speeches on our platform."

"We have a set of community standards designed to help people understand what's allowed on Facebook, and we call on people to use our report if they find content they believe violates these rules, so that we can examine each case and take quick action," it added.