On Monday, February 26, the Arab Center for Social Media Development (7amleh) issued a comprehensive report titled 'Racism and Incitement Index for 2023.' The report highlights the increasing spread of hate speech and incitement of violence directed against Palestinians and defenders of Palestinian rights over the past year, particularly since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7.
According to the report, every minute after October 7 witnessed an average of 23 posts or comments containing incitement of violence against Palestinians, up from the previous rate of 19 posts per minute. This indicates a noticeable increase in Israeli incitement against Palestinians corresponding with the aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The graph also illustrates that the rise in incitement in the digital space is linked to events in Palestinian regions. For instance, there was a significant increase in incitement during the settlers’ attack on the town of Huwara in the northern West Bank and the assault on the city of Jenin over the past year.
Incitement Against Palestinians in 2023
The Center documented in the report a significant increase in hate speech and incitement of violence in the Hebrew language targeting Palestinians on social media platforms. The results of the first half of 2023 revealed the widespread impact, translating into real damage on the ground, exemplified by the violent attack on the town of Huwara and its residents on February 26, 2023. The second half of 2023 witnessed an unprecedented surge in such speeches, including those perpetuating violence, justifying collective punishment, and intensifying the dehumanization of the Palestinian people, particularly after the commencement of the aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The report indicates that the Free Observatory documented 4,400 digital violations, with over half containing hate content and incitement of violence in the Hebrew language.
Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the publication of violent and incitement content in Hebrew last year compared to 2022, with the content being linked to attacks by settlers and the Israeli army.
Israeli Officials and Public Figures Incite Against the Palestinians in Gaza
The report included several posts from various websites published by Israeli officials and public figures in Israel.
Israeli Knesset Member Nissim Vaturi wrote on his X platform account calling for “erasing Gaza from existence” and the killing of children.
Israeli Knesset Member Galit Distel also called to Gaza as well, stressing the need for a cruel army and that morals are only within the framework of incitement to continue genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
On October 13, the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs posted on his account on the X platform, demanding civilians in Gaza to sacrifice, noting that “They will not receive a drop of water or a single battery until they leave the world.”
According to the report, three-quarters of the content containing hate speech and incitement to violence towards Palestinians was published on the X platform, representing almost 76% of the general posts, followed by Facebook and Instagram.
The report indicates the frequent use of phrases such as terrorists, Hamas, Arabs, Gaza, and destruction, providing a clear indication of the nature of the debate in the Hebrew language regarding the Gaza Strip. According to the report, the data indicates that many people express positive feelings and joy about the violent content they share without any feeling of guilt.
After the report, the “7amla” Center issued a set of recommendations and demands for social media platforms. The most prominent suggestion is the development of content classifications in the Hebrew language to address hate speech and incitement across the digital space in various languages, aiming to protect all users. Additionally, the center advocates for strengthening platform crews responsible for policies related to reliability, security, and commitment to human rights, and increasing the number of reviews of contents in Hebrew and Arabic, and the need to involve civil society in designing its policies and operations related to negative and illegal online content.
The report also stressed the need for social media platform companies to take decisive measures to limit the spread of hate speech and incitement against Palestinians. For the full list of recommendations and details of the briefing, you can read it via the provided link.
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