Session: How did digital activism and solidarity contribute to the repositioning of the Palestinian cause?
17 May 2022
14:00 - 14:55
The geopolitical changes across the region in the last decade have played a role in exposing new problems, contributing to the decline of the Palestinian cause and Palestinian rights. However, the chain of events that took place during last May in the context of repeated violations against Palestinians in East Jerusalem, particularly in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, have contributed to the repositioning of the Palestinian cause internationally. These violations were accompanied by a significant increase in Palestinian digital activities and the emergence of activists who influenced world public opinion. In fact, a number of factors helped them achieve this, such as the support of Arab and international activists, in addition to the international media coverage that responded to the pressure from Palestinian institutions around the world to transform the Palestinian narrative. Still, Palestinians faced many challenges such as the censorship of social media companies over their content, in response to the pressure exerted by the Israeli authorities on them. Therefore, in this session we will talk about the role of Palestinian activists in shifting world public opinion and in repositioning the Palestinian cause. We will also deal with the role of Arab activists and international media in May events and how we can benefit from them.