Activists launch social media campaign against double-standard on Palestine

ISTANBUL

Social media users and activists launched campaigns to save Palestine from the double standard against the occupied country.

On social media platforms, there is a double standard of obscuring Israel's crimes in Palestine and restricting Palestine supporters to prevent them from making their voices heard.

Many social media users complain that their accounts are slowed, posts and comments blocked and deleted, especially on Facebook and Instagram, after sharing images and videos about Israel's crimes against Palestinians.

Users launched campaigns by creating hashtags on Palestine to draw attention around the world.

Egyptian activist and journalist Shaima al-Hadidi told Anadolu Agency that she launched a campaign with the hashtag, #unmutepalestine.

"We have seen that there is unfairness and a double standard against contents supporting Palestine, especially restriction in Arabic content,” she said.

After following Israelis' posts about the massacre against Palestinians and the murder of children, she said Facebook did not delete those posts within the scope of "freedom of expression.”

She said posts and comments about the situation in Gaza and occupied East Jerusalem are deleted the most on Facebook.

Underlining that there are more than 200 million users in Arab countries and the Islamic world alone on Facebook, she said official objection appeals could prevent restrictions on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Yasir Asur, a social media expert, told Anadolu Agency that users launched a campaign against Facebook by using comments that said Facebook supports murderer Israel.

“There are several ways to avoid being restricted on Facebook and Instagram,” he said, advising users to avoid sensitive contents and encode words and texts.

He urged users to carefully read publishing policies of platforms and advised an appeal by making a statement to the platform, instead of being silent.

At least 230 Palestinians have been killed, including 65 children and 39 women, and more than 1,700 others injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since May 10, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Health centers, media offices and residential neighborhoods have been targeted.

Recent tensions that started in East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan spread to Gaza as a result of Israeli assaults on worshippers in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. In 1980 it annexed the entire city, a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar