According to data from TikTok's creator center, over the past two weeks, TikTok posts with the hashtag #StandwithPalestine have received nearly four times as many views globally as posts with the hashtag #StandwithIsrael, a report by Axios reveals. 

According to data, posts with the #StandwithPalestine hashtag have significantly surpassed posts with the #StandwithIsrael hashtag in terms of view counts in both the US and globally over the past two weeks.

Since October 16, there have been 210,000 posts globally featuring the hashtag #StandwithPalestine, while the hashtag #StandwithIsrael has been used in 17,000 posts.

Over the past two weeks in the US, there have been 8,000 posts featuring the hashtag #StandwithPalestine, whereas the hashtag #StandwithIsrael has been used in 3,000 posts during the same period.

TikTok's data also reveals that the #StandwithPalestine hashtag is most widely used in Malaysia, followed by Pakistan, the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar. On the other hand, the #StandwithIsrael hashtag is primarily popular in occupied Palestine, with additional popularity in Malaysia, Greece, Lithuania, and Croatia.

JUST IN - There have been nearly four times the number of views to TikTok posts using the hashtag #StandwithPalestine globally compared to posts using the hashtag #StandwithIsrael in the past two weeks, according to data from TikTok's creator center. - Axios pic.twitter.com/scbPuaGv9X

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) October 31, 2023

Western bias

TikTok prohibits content associated with terrorist organizations, and unfortunately, aligns with the Western narrative by considering Hamas a terror group, as confirmed by a TikTok spokesperson to Axios.

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TikTok primarily positions itself as an entertainment platform and is not focused on being a news or political destination. However, the data related to these hashtags reveals that political discussions and advocacy on a global scale frequently occur on TikTok, despite its entertainment-oriented nature.

While TikTok may not fully represent worldwide perspectives on the conflict, it does offer a unique insight into how young users on the platform engage with content related to the war on Gaza.

TikTok's data indicates that 87% of the audience engaging with #StandwithPalestine posts are under the age of 35, whereas this figure stands at 66% for #StandwithIsrael posts.

'Israel' unnamed on Chinese online maps

Although TikTok fails to recognize the legitimacy of Hamas as a resistance group, this does not imply that other Chinese companies ascribe to the Western narrative.

A report by the Wall Street Journal on Monday revealed that online digital maps from Baidu and Alibaba don't include the name "Israel".

Baidu’s Chinese language online maps outline the borders of occupied Palestine, as well as the Palestinian territories, in addition to key cities, but don’t identify the occupation entity by name. The same case is demonstrated in Alibaba's Amap online maps, where even small nations like Luxembourg are marked.

Israel is no longer a country on China’s leading online digital maps, including on Baidu and Alibaba. pic.twitter.com/YQLwj40jz8

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 30, 2023

Both companies did not comment. 

It is worth noting that it is unclear whether the development is new, however, Chinese internet users have discussed the matter since the Israeli aggression on Gaza. 

Since the beginning of the war on Gaza, China has supported a ceasefire to avoid "further escalations" and human suffering.