TIKTOK SEALS DEAL TO SHIFT US OPERATIONS AMID RISING CONCERNS OVER PRO-ISRAEL CONTENT TILT

Fri 19 December 2025:

According to media reports on Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Chew informed employees in an internal memo that the company has signed an agreement to transfer its US operations to a new joint venture led by American entities, in a bid to ensure the app’s continued availability in the United States.

The transaction, which has not yet been finalized, comes in response to a US law passed last year requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest 80% of its US assets or face a nationwide ban, according to CNN.

“We have signed agreements with investors regarding a new TikTok U.S. joint venture,” said Chew, adding that the deal would “enable over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities,” the outlet quoted the CEO.

The joint venture will be 50% owned by a group of American investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and Emirati-backed MGX.

Just over 30% will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, while ByteDance will retain a 19.9% stake, according to the memo obtained by CNN.

The Trump administration announced in September that the agreement satisfies the criteria for a “qualified divestiture,” and enforcement of the original ban-or-sale law has been postponed for 120 days, giving parties until Jan. 22, 2026, to complete the transaction.

Chew said ByteDance and TikTok had agreed to the deal terms, but acknowledged that “more work remains” to finalize the arrangement.

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TikTok’s role in the Israel-Gaza war narrative

.Since the October 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel’s response, TikTok has flooded with pro-Palestinian content—videos from Gazans showing destruction, civilian suffering, and calls for ceasefire. Studies show pro-Palestine posts and hashtags vastly outnumber pro-Israel ones (often 17-20:1 ratio), reaching billions of views.

This has shifted opinion among young users (Gen Z and millennials), who increasingly sympathize with Palestinians—polls indicate many view Israel’s actions critically or as disproportionate.Critics, including some US lawmakers and pro-Israel groups, accused TikTok (Chinese-owned at the time) of algorithmic bias amplifying anti-Israel or antisemitic content, fueling calls for a US ban.

The US has forced TikTok’s American arm into new hands. With Oracle’s Larry Ellison, a billionaire donor to Israel, now overseeing user data and the algorithm, critics warn the platform could be reshaped to serve Israel’s political interests, and silence pro-Palestine voices pic.twitter.com/H2nEvqJ2Xu

— TRT World (@trtworld) September 28, 2025

In September 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparked outrage by calling social media Israel’s new “weapon” to influence US opinion. In a meeting with pro-Israel influencers, he highlighted TikTok’s pending sale of US operations to an American-led consortium (involving pro-Israel billionaires like Oracle’s Larry Ellison) as “the most important purchase right now,” suggesting it could help counter pro-Palestinian narratives and secure support amid growing international isolation over the Gaza war.

Critics see this as an attempt to control the platform and suppress Palestinian voices, while supporters frame it as combating misinformation. The debate highlights TikTok’s power in shaping global perceptions of the conflict.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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