MK Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home), who heads the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, on Wednesday slammed Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's decision to block the advancement of the "Facebook Law."
The law was approved on Tuesday for its second and third Knesset readings. If passed, it would allow Israeli courts to order the removal of online incitement on Facebook, including advertisements, and would declare all incitement to be a criminal offense if it endangered a person, community, or the State of Israel.
"The law to prevent crimes via [removing content] published on the internet, which is called the 'Facebook Law,' is of great importance to the State's security," Slomiansky said.
"The committee which I head worked in cooperation with all security agencies and government offices, and decided that in order to remove the content, the Attorney General, State Prosecutor's Office, and district judges must state in writing that the content harms Israel's security.
"Is the control system so tight that this isn't enough? For a long time, the Committee labored to find the appropriate balance between State security and freedom of speech. Unfortunately, large forces with private interests are working to ensure that this law does not pass.
"I am sad that the Prime Minister cannot see the bigger picture."