My Demand of Social Media Platforms in Wake of Hamas’s Attacks on Israel

Dear Neighbors,

There are less than 30 days until another potential government shutdown, and Israel and Ukraine need our support. Despite these pressing issues, Republicans not only repeatedly failed to elect a Speaker, but also nominated Jim Jordan, who helped lead Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election and has spent his career working to criminalize abortion nationwide and slash Social Security and Medicare. Democrats are ready to work on real issues, including funding the government and providing support for Israel and Ukraine.

Social Media Platforms Should Remove Violent Content and Disinformation

I joined local elected officials and members of the Jewish community this week to demand social media platforms take immediate action to combat the graphic, violent content and disinformation spreading across social media in the wake of Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israel.

X, Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Telegram should vigorously enforce their terms of service, immediately remove content that violates those terms, and permanently ban any user that intentionally attempts to spread or broadcast acts of terror, violence, or extremism. I am also requesting more information from social media companies about what they are doing to ensure that content which violates their standards is immediately removed.

The abhorrent content we’ve seen following Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israel is an affront to the victims and their families and serves only to further the terrorists’ violent agenda. Reports that Hamas has hacked some of their victims’ accounts and used them to spread terrorist content are particularly heinous, and platforms must act swiftly and decisively to stamp out these abuses. Read more here

President Biden’s Message to Americans

As he told the American people Thursday night, the U.S. cannot afford to sit on the sidelines when free nations are invaded. Israel and Ukraine share our democratic values and need critical American support now. Putin is a ruthless authoritarian determined to eradicate Ukraine, and Hamas is a terrorist organization committed to Israel's destruction. If we let them have their way, our adversaries will cause even more pain, destruction, and death around the world.

Over the past year, President Biden has rallied our allies in support of Ukraine’s defense, and he’s doing the same now for Israel. President Biden’s trip to Israel this week showed the world that the United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism. We are committed to eliminating the threat that Hamas poses to Israelis and Palestinians.

Congress must fulfill the President’s request to defend our values and provide support for Israel and Ukraine. I urge my Republican colleagues to put partisanship aside and work with Democrats to get this funding to the President's desk.

Click here to visit my website or call my offices directly if you have questions or need help with a federal agency:

Middlesex County: 732-249-8892

Monmouth County: 732-571-1140

Sincerely,

Congressman Pallone