July 19, 20120 comments
By Yousef M. Aljamal
The Centre for Political and Development Studies (CPDS)
19/07/2012
The 21st century witnessed one of the most important social and political developments in the fields of communication
and media. Some define new media as “A generic term for the many different forms of electronic communication that are
made possible through the use of computer technology. The term is in relation to “old” media forms, such as print
newspapers and magazines, that are static representations of text and graphics.”
It’s characterized by the massive interest of youth in it which can be easily noticed. New media play a vital role in
mobilizing for protests all over the Arab World, in what is known as the ‘Arab Spring’. Activists tweet about their
non-violent struggle against tyranny and the violent suppression of regimes and their journey to social justice. It was
first used in Tunisia, Egypt, the Yemen, Bahrain and Syria. The political and social movements expanded to other western
countries. The Occupy Movement in the U.S is an example. The use of social media has become vivid and vibrant in these
movements as well.
Palestine, which is a major inspiration for revolutions in the Arab World, joined this new form of struggle. Hundreds of
activists based in Palestine and Diaspora use social media to expose Israel’s violations of human rights in the occupied
Palestinian Territories. Mainly youth activists spend hours tweeting about Jerusalem, settlements, Gaza’s siege, crisis,
refugees, water and electricity shortage, setters attacks, weekly protests, land confiscation, prisoners, and their
dream of independence and justice.
Palestinian blogger and social media activist Noor El-Borno from Gaza believes that “People want to find ways that are
daily accessed. Social Media like facebook, twitter and blogs are very famous and almost everyone uses them.”
“They are so easily used and work instantly. One just writes what he/she wants and post it. It doesn’t cost time nor
money,” she adds.
Lately, dozens of Palestinian and Pro-Palestinian activists launched campaigns on twitter in an attempt to shed light on
the plight of Palestinian hunger strikers. The tweets reflect massive support for Palestinian prisoners. The hashtags
include#75DaysVsApartheid #DecolonoizeJerusalem #JihadCheckenBrigade. These hashtags, handling different topics related
to Palestine and human rights, trended worldwide and were used as tools of pressure against Israel.
The realization of the effectiveness of new media and mobilizing more people to ‘tweet and facebook’ for Palestine can
be beneficial. Efforts need to be organized to make more use of this new yet effective tool to raise awareness about the
ongoing suffering of Palestinians.
Future battles between the occupied Palestinian people and the Israeli occupation will be on Facebook and twitter.
Building a network of Palestinian and pro-Palestinian tweeps is essential to make any trend a success. Including larger
numbers of Palestinians in this battle is a first step to engage all freedom fighters in the struggle for justice and
equality in Palestine. Social media can provide Palestinians with an effective weapon to expose Israel’s crimes to the
world.
ENDS