- An investigation found that Facebook has hosted paid adverts promoting illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, some fundraising for military units.
- Legal experts warn that by approving and profiting from these advertisements, the company could be complicit in breaches of international law.
An investigation by Al Jazeera has revealed that Facebook has hosted over 100 paid advertisements promoting illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, sparking alarming concerns that the social media giant may be profiting from content potentially in violation of international law.
Among the identified advertisements were calls advocating for the demolition of Palestinian homes, schools, and playgrounds, alongside fundraising appeals for Israeli military units operating in Gaza.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company stated that all advertisements running on its platforms undergo a review process. While acknowledging that some ads had been removed for “violating our social issues, elections, and politics policies,” the company did not clarify whether the promotion of illegal settlements built on expropriated Palestinian land contravened its standards.
Legal experts warned that by approving, accepting payment for, and publishing these advertisements, Meta could be complicit in violations of international law. Brian Leishman, a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, called the findings “extremely concerning.”
At least 52 paid advertisements from Israeli real estate firms were discovered promoting property sales in settlements across the occupied West Bank, targeting buyers not only within Israel but also in the United Kingdom and the United States. First published in March 2024, many of these ads remain active on Facebook.
Meta stated, “We have robust processes and teams to review ads, and our ad review system is designed to review ads before they go live. This system relies primarily on automated technology to apply our Advertising Standards to the millions of ads that run across our apps, while relying on our teams to build and train these systems, and in some cases, to manually review ads.”
Among the advertisements identified by were at least four promoting property sales in the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel, located 20km (12 miles) east of the Green Line in the occupied West Bank. The listings, written in Hebrew and targeting Israeli Facebook users, were paid for by a Facebook page called “Ramat Aderet,” which describes itself as offering “penthouses for a perfect quality of life.”
According to its website, the Ramat Aderet (Hillside Crown) project consists of “two neighbourhoods – north and south – with a total of 27 … buildings of between 4 to 8 floors. The apartments provide a complete urban living experience in a perfect neighbourhood.” The company is valued at $300 million, according to PitchBook, a research firm and financial data provider.
The advertisements depict life in the settlements as idyllic. One listing showcases an eight-bedroom mansion featuring a “huge garden, large succah area (seats 50+), above-ground pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, cold plunge, and breathtaking desert mountain views… A dream home just 20 minutes from Jerusalem! Don’t miss out!”
Carolina Are, a platform governance researcher at the Centre for Digital Citizens at Northumbria University, told Al Jazeera that “the real estate ads have been expertly framed as standard property listings, allowing them to elude moderation.”
“Moderators may not be aware of the nuances of international law either,” she added.
Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal. The transfer of an occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory is classified as a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Professor Aoife O’Donoghue, an international law expert from Queen’s University, has also weighed in on the matter, stating, “On the West Bank, property can be privately bought and sold. However, whether they have the legal title to sell that land at all would be highly questionable.
“If the Israeli government is facilitating it, and they are settlements, then they would be in violation of the Third Geneva Convention. Here, the Israeli government has a duty to prevent illegal settlements.”
