Israeli Occupation Oppressing Palestinians Online: Foreign Policy
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The Foreign Policy magazine reported on the Israeli oppression of Palestinian voices in digital spaces after seeing online activism as a security threat.
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An Israeli occupation soldier physically abusing a Palestinian citizen near Al-Aqsa Mosque (Credit: Getty Images)
Foreign Policy published an article titled, "How to End Israel's Digital Occupation," in which the magazine addressed Israeli injustice against Palestinian civilians, whom it tries in military court. Foreign Policy also pointed out that the Israeli occupation authorities deny Palestinian suspects their right to counsel during investigations.
The magazine underscored how the internet is some sort of haven for the Palestinians, as they can use it to communicate with their families from whom they are separated by the Israeli apartheid wall, barbed wire, and the occupation forces.
"But on the internet, the checkpoints disappear. Palestinians can converse with family from whom they are separated by barbed wire and machine-gun emplacements," Foreign Policy said.
Digital Palestine under threat by three forces
The internet makes Palestinians feel as if they are "citizens of a sovereign State of Palestine: one recognized by 138 countries and admitted in 2012 as a non-member observer state to the United Nations."
Digital Palestine is facing threats from the confluence of three forces, said FP.
- The expansive police and surveillance apparatus of "Israel"
- The network of formal and informal institutions use by the Israeli government to target pro-Palestinian expression across the globe
- American social media companies
The first one, it said, was "used to track, intimidate, and imprison Palestinians in the occupied territories for their online speech."
The second is the network used by the occupation to suppress pro-Palestinian expression across the globe.
And the third, FP said, was silencing Palestinian voices to simply avoid political controversy and Israeli pressures.
What to expect
"Unless drastic action is taken, the outlook is grim," Foreign Policy said, as the internet has long been the ally of the underdogs, but it seems that it is quite the opposite when it comes to the Palestinian cause.
As a result of the oppressive Israeli measures, Palestinian digital spaces have never been smaller, which could lead to their voices being less heard and obstruct their cause online, subsequently allowing the Israeli crimes to commit more crimes that could go undocumented.
