Facebook extends ad map after Israeli complaint

File Photo showing Israeli soldiers taking position close to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Facebook has amended its policy to include Jewish neighborhoods located outside the 1967 borders in ads targeting residents of Jerusalem

JERUSALEM: Facebook has reportedly expanded its ad map to reach Israeli residents living beyond the 1967 borders, following a complaint by an Israeli official, a local report said on Friday.

The social networking site has amended its policy to include Jewish neighborhoods located outside the 1967 borders in ads targeting residents of Jerusalem, according to Israel Hayom newspaper.

The newspaper said that Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely filed a complaint after learning that Facebook ads are limited only to Jerusalem neighborhoods within the 1967 borders.

The 1967 borders refer to the boundaries of the Palestinian state that existed before the war in which Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Companies that advertised products or services to Israelis on Facebook were able to target only Israelis living inside the Green Line.

But after Hotovely contacted Facebook, the networking site conceded that its “commercial business should not define the borders of any country.”

Israel Hayom reported that Hotovely “welcomed the move and thanked Facebook for its swift response and professional handling of the issue.”