Israel War Room Gets Zoom to Deplatform PFLP Affiliated Group

On Thursday, November 2, Samidoun, the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, was set to hold a webinar with Husam Badran, head of the National Relations Office of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement. 

The webinar, which was going to be in Arabic and translated into English and other languages, was supposed to focus on the media’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza War. A description of the event stated, “PALESTINE MEDIA EPISODE 1: You’ve heard what the media has to say. We think it’s critical that you also have the opportunity to hear what the Palestinian resistance has to say, directly.”

After the event was posted, it came to light that Badran, its featured speaker, is the former leader of Hamas’ military wing in the northern West Bank. Additionally, Samidoun is affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist group in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank that was known for aircraft hijackings and attacks worldwide in the 1960s and ‘70s. 

Israel War Room, a pro-Israel group with 250,000 followers on X, posted about the webinar and on November 2, before it could be held, telling Zoom about it.

“Hey @Zoom, your platform is being used by @SamidounPP (a front for the PFLP terror organization) to host a webinar with Husam Badran, a member of Hamas (a designated terrorist organization),” Israel War Room posted. “Pretty sure this violates your T&Cs.”

A number of commenters posted below the status, urging Zoom to reply, and within two hours, they were notified that the event was cancelled. 

“We have determined that the webinar featuring Husam Badran is in violation of our Acceptable Use Guidelines, and as a result, we have shut down this specific meeting,” Zoom replied. The link to the webinar could then not be found. 

A number of Israel War Room followers praised Zoom, while one pro-Hamas commenter wrote, “Everyone Bycott [sic] @Zoom. Delete Zoom.” 

In Zoom’s Acceptable Use Guidelines, the company specifically bans using the platform to promote terrorism and violent extremism, writing, “We believe terrorist organizations are those groups subject to national and international terrorism designations … We will examine a group’s activities both on and off Zoom to determine whether they engage in and/or promote violence against civilians to advance a political, religious and/or social cause.” 

Since the Israel-Gaza War started with the massacre on October 7, Hamas has been using technology to spread videos of the carnage as well as propaganda. Hamas livestreamed murders and posted them on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, and sent some to family members of the victims as well. Telegram, a messaging app, is being used by Hamas for communication and to spread propaganda; as of October 31, Telegram was limiting Hamas activities on it by removing Hamas channels.

Israel War Room’s X and Instagram accounts existed long before the war started, but have been posting constantly about it since October 7. 

Israel War Room’s X and Instagram accounts existed long before the war started, but have been posting constantly about it since October 7. It retweets news as well as holds people, companies and groups that are supporting Hamas accountable for their actions. 

Recent posts showed people ripping down posters of the kidnapped Israelis in Gaza and Jewish New Yorkers being attacked on the street. It frequently tweets at law enforcement and governmental groups to get them to take action and, with round-the-clock coverage, fulfills its promise found in its X bio: “Israel’s enemies do not sleep. Neither do we.”