Facebook is profiting from ads promoting illegal Israeli settlements

Facebook has platformed more than 100 paid advertisements promoting illegal Israeli settlements and far-right settler activity in the occupied West Bank, an Al Jazeera investigation has revealed, raising serious questions over the social media giant’s complicity in potential breaches of international law.

The ads, many of which remain live, include listings for luxury properties in settlements such as Ariel — located 20km east of the Green Line and well within the occupied West Bank — as well as calls for the demolition of Palestinian homes, schools and playgrounds. Other posts solicited donations for occupation military units operating in Gaza.

BREAKING — Meta profits as ads promote illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank: AJ pic.twitter.com/aWzxzEGLEx

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Among the most prominent advertisers is a Facebook page called “Ramat Aderet”, promoting a $300 million development described as “penthouses for a perfect quality of life”, boasting amenities like saunas, jacuzzis and cold plunges. At least 52 of the ads identified were posted by Israeli real estate companies targeting buyers in Israel, the UK and the US.

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Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has previously courted controversy over censorship of pro-Palestinian voices and failing to remove far-right hate speech. The company told Al Jazeera that “all ads are reviewed” through a combination of automated systems and human moderation. It admitted that some ads had been removed for violating policies on “social issues, elections and politics”, but did not specify whether the promotion of settlements built on occupied land constituted a breach.

Legal experts argue that Meta may be profiting from content that facilitates violations of international law. Professor Aoife O’Donoghue of Queen’s University Belfast was quoted as saying: “Whether they have the legal title to sell that land at all would be highly questionable.” She added, “If the Israeli government is facilitating it, and they are settlements, then they would be in violation of the Third Geneva Convention.”

British Member of Parliament Brian Leishman described the findings as “extremely concerning”, as pressure mounts on Meta to explain its role in amplifying controversial and potentially unlawful content.

All of Israel’s settlements are illegal under international law.

READ: Meta restricted Palestinian news outlets since October 2023, BBC finds