The newest wave of Palestinian Uprisings- the digital intifada, how has it evolved in the past 2 decades?
By Saba Omran
Conditions for Palestinians are horror with no end in sight. With the recently elected Israeli governments coalition being given to right wing parties, new waves of resistance are forming from the west bank to Gaza. How is the internet involved in these uprisings? And how is it evolving?
Among the current wave of physical violence, a form of resistance which has been evolving throughout the last 2 decades- a digital uprising, or Intifada, as they would call it in Palestine is changing. The last 2 decades has seen how the internet has facilitated a reunification of Palestinians both from those who live in the occupied territories, but also those in the diaspora, who often feel like they have no voice.
The past 2 intifadas were led by political groups, such as Hamas- the leading militant organization based in Gaza, and the PA, but the recent wave of resistance is led by the youth of Palestine, who are organizing many of their attacks digitally, and mobilising in smaller fractions, making it more difficult for the Israeli occupation to track them down. They are younger, and more determined. A population born into a military occupation, one which is desperate for their voices to be heard.
The new emergence of smaller groups such as the Lion's den in Nablus and the Jenin Brigades in Jenin, have been at the forefront of Palestinian resistance and are challenging the Israeli occupation. These are younger Palestinians, and the generational divide is clear, as they are using digital spaces, in particular social media, which has opened rooms for younger generations to mobilise and oppose the Israeli occupation in their own hands. Lone wolf attacks are increasing, cell phone footage being used to expose Israel around the world, and it is not looking like Palestinian resistance is backing down.
We have seen the effects on social media on the conflict. The 2021 Israeli aggression on Gaza had a timeline of events- one which can be bought back to two Palestinian siblings in their early 20s- Muna and Mohammed El Kurd, who used Instagram live streaming as a tool to show live footage of the aggression they were facing. This led to mass protests in their neighborhood of sheik jarrah- which eventually led to a full-scale war in may 2021- where over hundreds of Palestinians died, and 11 Israelis. Of course, social media has been at the forefront of the resistance movement for the past 2 decades, but the recent use of live streaming, specifically on pages such as Instagram, which one of the most popular social media page amongst the younger generation. Muna and Mohammed El Kurd gained the title of The 100 most influential people of 2021 for Time magazine, as their cinematic and bold method of resistance inspired the Palestinian diaspora to renew their protests.
By sharing the videos posted by Palestinians to their communities across the world, the diaspora is ensuring that Palestinian voices are heard to a new extent. Many people I know had very limited knowledge on the events taking place in Israel and Palestine. It seems like regular news outlets such as the BBC, attract those already interested in the topic, but social media seems to be attracting those who aren’t., thus creating a larger audience for the cause due to being exposed to the violence on social media pages, ran by both Palestinians, Israelis and foreigners who are committed to the cause.
Filming is crucial in this intifada. and has become the biggest weapon in the current tensions. Palestinians are filming everything and posting it online for the world to see. This wasn’t possible in the first intifada and second intifadas to same extent. Of course, A Cinematic Intifada exists, with documentaries such as ‘5 Broken Cameras’ by Emad Burkat having been produced and even nominated for Oscars, but cellphone filming to this extent was rare. The internet- and social media has become a refuge for Palestinians, allowing them to capture and share from their perspective for the first time. Major news outlets have for the first time been pushed aside from the conflict, and raw authentic footage is making headlines on social media to be seen all around the world. A breather for a population accustomed to a misunderstood perspective. This new form of resistance is however being met with algorithm bias and censorship, turning even the digital spaces for Palestinians to share their stories into a battleground- this time online.
It is interesting to see where this will go, a digital uprising gathered attention for the arab spring, which was successful in some countries, but disastrous in others. Time will only tell what the digital intifada will bring, for a population not accustomed to happy endings, but a population that has never backed down, even under the most difficult of circumstances.
