Families of Victims of Hamas Are Suing Facebook for $1 Billion

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The families of victims of Palestinian attacks are suing Facebook for $1 billion in damages.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Sunday, July 10, claims that Facebook provided “material support and resources” to Hamas, a Palestinian organization that the U.S. recognizes as a terrorist group.

The lawyer presenting the five families told the Associated Press that Facebook is violating U.S. anti-terrorism laws by providing the terrorist group with a platform for “recruiting, radicalizing, and instructing terrorists, raising funds, creating fear and carrying out attacks.”

The victims, made up of American and Israeli citizens, were killed in multiple terrorist attacks in Israel between 2015 and 2016, according to Arstechnica.

Those victims include Taylor Force, an American student; Naftali Fraenkel, an Israeli teenager; and Chaya Zissel Braun, a three-month-old who was killed in an attack in Jerusalem.

The families of the victims are being represented by Shurat Hadin, an Israeli advocacy group, who filed the case — known as Force v. Facebook — in the US District Court in the Southern District of New York, according to The Verge.

Earlier this month, Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan called Facebook a “monster” for allegedly not doing more to curb terrorism.

Facebook countered by saying it works with safety organizations and governments across the world to ensure people feel safe while using the platform, the company told Reuters on July 3.

The U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act prohibits American businesses from providing support to terrorist organizations. However, a provision of the Communication Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) protects websites from being legally responsible for content posted by a third-party.

Force v. Facebook is one of many lawsuits that argues for anti-terrorism laws to override the protections that the CDA promises.

According to the Associated Press, Shurat Hadin has brought up suits against Facebook in the past. Last year, it demanded that the social media giant remove and block violent videos.

Facebook has not provided comment on the matter.

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