The current violence being reported from Israel towards Palestinians has taken many lives so far and caused damage beyond repair. However, this is not something that started happening recently, the rife between the two has been going on for a long time. But what’s different this time? Amidst the Israeli airstrikes, when many countries, especially Arab capitals, are muted, voices on social media are loud and clear.
Twenty-nine-year-old Palestinian-Jordanian-American author Amani Al-Khatahtbeh said, “It feels different this time, it definitely does. I wasn’t expecting this to happen so quickly, and for the wave to shift this fast. You don’t see many people out on the streets in protest these days, but I would say that social media is the mass protest.”
While earlier, many Arab cities would take to the streets to protest against the injustices in Palestine, this time, despite the killing of 212 Palestinians in Gaza because of Israeli bombing, Arab capitals have not been particularly vocal about it. Instead, solidarity with the Palestinians has shifted online and gone global.
For a long time, a lot of media outlets have suppressed the Palestinian point of view and falsely equated Israel’s suffering with that of its occupied territories. But now, with the social media outlet available to Palestinians, they aim to seize control of the narrative from them to present a clearer picture.
More often than not, you might have heard the term ‘conflict’ when referring to what’s happening between Israel and Palestine. But, even the term ‘conflict’ is an inaccurate suggestion, as a conflict is a dispute between equals, which the Israel-Palestine issue is clearly not.
Thankfully, social media has allowed us to change, or rather correct, our words and learn about their story better. Supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid have also been posting about the Palestinian suffering on their social media accounts.
How do you know your social media is helping Palestine? If it weren’t creating any impact, why would Israeli authorities ask Facebook to take action against social media posts by young Palestinians? Since then, Facebook has taken action against hundreds of Palestinian accounts so far by removing their posts, photographs and videos.
A Palestinian activist said, “Facebook is waging war on the Palestinians. It has never taken such action against the dozens of pro-Israel accounts and pages known to incite racism and violence against Palestinians and their property.”
So, you see how for social media for Palestinians is right now being used to connect themselves with the world and tell their side of the story. Social media is allowing them to circumvent Israeli occupation and its restrictions. In other words, it is acting as a bridge to the outside world, allowing them to be visible and make their voice heard.
In conclusion, your social media posts help amplify their voices and take control of the narrative, which has for long been in the hands of oppressors. So, share that post, follow those pages and make others aware of what’s actually happening in Palestine.