Facebook public policy director appointed to new right-wing Israeli government

The new Israeli minister of strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, has announced the appointment of Facebook’s Jordana Cutler as his ministry’s director general, according to local media.

Cutler has previously held the post of Facebook public policy director for Israel & the Jewish diaspora for over six years, as well as other positions in the Israeli government as well as Tel Aviv's US embassy, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The announcement, reported by the Israeli broadcaster Kan on Wednesday, did not indicate when Cutler will commence the post.

#New: Ron Dermer, Israel's Minister for Strategic Affairs & the de facto foreign minister, is expected to appoint Jordana Cutler, @Facebook/@Meta's Public Policy Director for Israel & the Jewish Diaspora, as his ministry's director general.

— Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي (@NTarnopolsky) January 12, 2023

During her time at the social media giant, Facebook was faced with numerous accusations of bias against Palestinian content on its platform. 

Palestinians often campaign against Facebook’s censorship of Arabic and Hebrew-language content pertaining to Palestinian issues and Israeli violence against Palestinians.

Rights groups have long condemned the social media giant for suppressing and restricting Palestinian content.

Last September, an independent report found that Facebook had violated the rights of Palestinian Facebook users regarding freedom of expression. 

In 2021, 30 employees accused the networking site of blocking and removing Arabic-language content amid Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip in May of that year, with airstrikes killing more than 250 Palestinians, including dozens of children.

Instagram and WhatsApp - both platforms owned by Meta - have also faced accusations of bias towards Palestinian content on their platforms.

Social media is often used as a tool by Palestinians to document Israel’s violence and human rights violations in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

Washington DC-born Cutler worked as an advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Jewish diaspora affairs between 2009 and 2013.

Cutler also worked as a media advisor in the Likud Party's election campaign between 2005 and 2007. 

Prior to her position at Facebook, she was chief of staff at the Embassy of Israel in the US.

Cutler's appointment comes after a far-right government, headed by Netanyahu, came to power in Israel following elections in November. The cabinet includes extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has made racist statements against Palestinians before.