Israel targets Arabic content: 99% of removal requests target Arabic posts

Data reveals that the cyber unit of the Israeli State Attorney's Office submitted 186,160 requests to remove social media posts between May 2024 and September 2026, almost all in Arabic. 99% of the requests were based on suspicions of "incitement to terrorism," and 137,059 posts were removed without individual judicial rulings.

Data obtained by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel from the Ministry of Justice and published by Haaretz on Thursday reveals that the cyber unit of the Israeli State Attorney's Office submitted 186,160 requests to remove social media posts over about two and a half years, from May 2024 to September 2026. Almost all of these requests were in Arabic, with only seven exceptions. Platforms responded by removing 137,059 posts, a rate of 73.6% of total requests. 99% of removal requests were based on suspicions related to "incitement to terrorism," while only about 1% were for other reasons not specified by the ministry. The ministry revealed that the cyber unit did not refer any requests to the police during the period covered by the data. These figures raise questions about the targeting of Arabic content and the lack of direct judicial oversight over removal operations.