Jerusalem ( CNN ) -- A controversial Facebook page calling for another Palestinian intifada has been pulled off the social media website , following complaints from the Israeli government that it incited violence against Jews . A statement from Facebook said the group page entitled the `` Third Palestinian Intifada '' -- which had garnered more than 350,000 `` likes '' over the course of the past month -- was removed from the website because it contained direct calls for violence . `` The page ... began as a call for peaceful protest , even though it used a term that has been associated with violence in the past . In addition , the administrators initially removed comments that promoted violence , '' the company statement said . `` However , after the publicity of the page , more comments deteriorated to direct calls for violence . Eventually , the administrators also participated in these calls . After administrators of the page received repeated warnings about posts that violated our policies , we removed the page . `` We continue to believe that people on Facebook should be able to express their opinions , and we do n't typically take down content that speaks out against countries , religions , political entities , or ideas . However , we monitor pages that are reported to us and when they degrade to direct calls for violence or expressions of hate -- as occurred in this case -- we have and will continue to take them down , '' Facebook said . A few other identically named pages have popped up since then , some with the same messages the previous page had . The page 's removal follows heavy criticism from the Israeli government and pro-Israel organizations that Facebook was ignoring its own terms-of-service guidelines , which prohibit the posting of content that is `` hateful , threatening , or ... incites violence . '' Yuli Edelstein , Israel 's minister of public diplomacy and diaspora affairs , said Tuesday in a statement that the removal of the page showed that `` Facebook management understood that the page is a blunt abuse of freedom of speech to incite to violent actions . '' The Anti-Defamation League also praised the move . `` By taking this action , Facebook has now recognized an important standard to be applied when evaluating issues of non-compliance with its terms of service involving distinctions between incitement to violence and legitimate calls for collective expressions of opinion and action , '' said a statement Tuesday from Abraham H. Foxman , national director of the group . `` As it continues to monitor its pages , Facebook should be able to apply this standard in response to complaints about other pages with similar content . We hope that they will continue to vigilantly monitor their pages for other groups that call for violence or terrorism against Jews and Israel . '' Edelstein sent a letter to Facebook founder and chairman Mark Zuckerberg last week , complaining of content on the page that promoted `` the killing of Israelis and Jews and the 'liberating ' of Jerusalem and of Palestine through acts of violence . '' `` You are obviously aware of the site 's great potential to rally the masses around good causes , and we are all thankful for that . However , such potential comes hand in hand with the ability to cause great harm such as in the case of the wild incitement , '' Edelstein 's letter said . Edelstein 's office had said Monday it was satisfied with moves the social media giant had made in monitoring the site and removing objectionable content . The Facebook page in question was set up in early March by a group of unidentified activists who called for a third intifada to start on May 15 , a date known by Palestinians as the Nakba -- or catastrophe -- which commemorates the displacement of hundred of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in warfare that led to the establishment of Israel in 1948 . The word intifada -- which is literally translated as `` shaking off '' -- is popularly used to describe a revolt or rebellion . Palestinians have staged two intifadas , which began in 1987 and 2000 respectively . Violence surrounding the second intifada claimed the lives of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians . In an administrative post , the activists wrote that the purpose of the page was to liberate Palestine and fight `` against injustice , division , and corruption '' following the protest movements in Tunisia , Egypt , and Libya . In a March 24 post , the administrators said their approach was peaceful and that they were committed to maintaining freedom of expression . They also suggested it was not fair to single out their page when thousands of pages on the social media website contained similar content , and threatened a mass Muslim boycott of Facebook if the page was pulled down .
NEW : Facebook says it removed the page because it called for violence . Other pages with the same name have been created on Facebook . The Israeli government said the page promoted the killing of Jews . The creators of the page said it promotes the liberation of Palestine .