Facebook has taken down content that spread lies in Israel about coronavirus vaccinations, the Israeli justice ministry has said, as the government sought to drum up support for its vaccination programme.
On Saturday, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, became the first person to be vaccinated in Israel. Opinion polls show two-thirds of the public want to follow suit.
The justice ministry said that, at its request, Facebook took down four groups at the weekend that had disseminated texts, photographs and videos with “deliberately mendacious content designed to mislead about coronavirus vaccines”.
Such “fake news” included arguments that vaccines would be used to plant government tracking chips in recipients’ bodies; to poison them; or to subject them to medical experimentation, the ministry said.
A Facebook spokeswoman confirmed that four Hebrew-language groups had been taken down as part of the company’s policy against spreading misinformation regarding the vaccines.
Israeli officials said the country had enough vaccines on order by the end of the year to protect the most vulnerable 20% of the population and then lift some coronavirus curbs, but were worried that turnout might be dampened if people got false information about the inoculations.
Israel began administering vaccines to medical staff on Sunday. At Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, dozens of doctors and nurses danced as they prepared to receive their injections.
Next in line are elderly Israelis and those in high-risk groups. The wider adult population is slated to get shots in early 2021.
With a population of 9 million, Israel has logged 373,368 coronavirus cases and 3,074 deaths. It has imposed two national lockdowns and is considering new curbs on high-contagion areas.