Netflix defended its decision Friday to remove Palestinian-themed content from its streaming platform, citing an expired licensing agreement, amid growing backlash from pro-Palestinian organizations.
The streaming giant removed 19 films by or about Palestinians in mid-October, prompting criticism over the timing during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
According to Netflix's statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the "Palestinian Stories" collection, which originally featured 32 films, was launched in October 2021 through a three-year licensing arrangement that has now concluded.
"Those licenses have now expired," Netflix explained. "As always we continue to invest in a wide variety of quality films and TV shows to meet our members' needs, and celebrate voices from around the world."
A coalition of organizations, led by Freedom Forward, sent an open letter to Netflix's leadership, including founder and executive chairman Reed Hastings and co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos, demanding an explanation for the content removal.
"We urge you to explain your decision and to reinstate every film by or about Palestinians that Netflix deleted last week," the coalition wrote.
Sunjeev Bery, executive director of Freedom Forward, challenged Netflix's explanation, stating, "Netflix is a 300 billion dollar company that can afford to renew the licenses for the movies and films that it cares about."
The streaming platform regularly adjusts its content library based on licensing agreements, similar to how popular shows like "Friends" moved to Max. Netflix continues to maintain some Palestinian content on its platform.
The protest letter garnered support from multiple organizations, including the Arab American Action Network, Council on American Islamic Relations, Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, National Network for Arab American Communities, and US Palestinian Community Network.
