Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Germany's Foreign Ministry says it has instituted new social media guidelines and disciplined personnel after anti-Israel and anti-Semitic tweets were "liked" by the official Twitter account of the German mission to the Palestinian territories.
and Twitter
The heart icon for several tweets criticizing Jews and Israel was clicked some two weeks ago an account belonging to Germany's envoy to the Palestinian territories, Christian Clages. The tweets included a video praising attacks on IDF soldiers as well as footage of David Duke - former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and Holocaust denier - discuss an "allege" massacre of Jews.
The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that 10 people had access to the "Germany in Ramallah" Twitter account and it wasn't clear who clicked the "likes." The ministry says the account wasn't secured against unauthorized users.
It says the head of Germany's office in Ramallah, Christian Clages, and others were disciplined. The social media guidance sent to all diplomatic posts clarifies "that even 'likes' are understood as expressions of opinion of the German government" and now require the approval of two people.
The ministry says it "publicly made it clear the contents of the tweets concerned are unacceptable, contradict the attitude of the German government, and are not tolerated."