Meta says Malaysian PM Anwar's posts on Haniyeh assassination were removed in error

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Meta Platforms apologised on Tuesday for erroneously removing Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's social media posts in which he expressed condolences to a Hamas official about the assassination of the group's leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Meta was sorry for "an operational error", adding that the content had been restored with "the correct newsworthy label," a Meta spokesperson told Reuters.

The U.S. social media giant designates Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that governs Gaza, as a "dangerous organisation" and bans content praising the group. It uses a mix of automated detection and human review to remove or label graphic visuals.

Anwar posted on Facebook and Instagram on July 31 a video recording of his phone call with a Hamas official to offer condolences over Haniyeh's death. He also posted a picture from his last meeting with Haniyeh in Qatar in May, along with a condolence message.

It was the second run-in Meta has had with the Malaysian government, which called the takedown of the posts unjust, discriminatory and a suppression of free speech. Malaysia's communications minister and members of the Prime Minister's Office met Meta representatives on Monday to seek an explanation.

In a similar incident in May, Meta restored Facebook posts by Anwar over his meeting with Haniyeh, saying they were taken down in error.

Muslim-majority Malaysia, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, has warned that firm action could be taken against Meta and other social media companies if they blocked pro-Palestinian content on their platforms.

(Reporting by Danial Azhar and Rozanna Latiff; Editing by John Mair and Edwina Gibbs)