Zoom has reportedly canceled a webinar due to be held at San Francisco State University (SFSU) this Wednesday featuring Leila Khaled, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) who took part in two plane hijackings in 1969 and 1970. YouTube and Facebook also intervened to stop the talk.
The webinar was cancelled after pressure from Israeli and Jewish lobby groups including the Lawfare Project. They noted that the US government has designated the PFLP a terrorist organization, and claimed that by hosting Khaled on its service, Zoom was exposing itself to criminal liability for providing material support or resources to a terrorist group.
In a statement Zoom confirmed that it had canceled the webinar. A spokesperson said the company was committed to supporting the open exchange of ideas and conversations but that Khaled’s talk potentially breached its terms of service.
“In light of the speaker’s reported affiliation or membership in a US designated foreign terrorist organization, and SFSU’s inability to confirm otherwise, we determined the meeting is in violation of Zoom’s Terms of Service and told SFSU they may not use Zoom for this particular event,” said the spokesperson.
In addition to Zoom’s cancellation of the webinar, Facebook also took down an event page for the talk. A spokesperson for Facebook told J. The Jewish News of Northern California it had removed this content for violating our policy prohibiting praise, support and representation for dangerous organizations and individuals, which applies to Pages, content and Events.
