DVAW IN CONFLICT ZONES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
internal discourse requires grappling with decades of occupation and colonial strategies designed to
divide Palestinians, even by superficial differences. These colonial powers have long exploited internal
contradictions to tighten control.
In such a politically charged environment, the existence of political structures that fuel hate speech
creates fertile ground for hostility. Marginalized groups are most vulnerable, and women are easy targets
for insults, slurs, and verbal abuse—often using terms meant to diminish them simply for being women.
Political women have increasingly been targeted online, just as they were in the streets. Many have
received death threats, threats of surveillance, and even threats of rape. Some of these threats appear
to come from the Palestinian Authority itself—the very body that should be protecting women. In
Palestinian communities inside Israel (1948 territories), a 2022 study found that 83% of Arab women
victims of violence, assault, or harassment avoid reporting incidents to Israeli police due to delays, lack
of enforcement, and failure to hold perpetrators accountable.
This problem is compounded by the complicity of social media companies, whose algorithms quickly
remove Palestinian content that criticizes Israeli aggression, while responding slowly—or not at all—to
hate speech and abuse targeting Palestinians, especially women. They have also failed to adopt policies
that would make the internet safer for women.
In 2024, the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media (7amleh) published a report featuring
direct testimonies from Palestinian journalists and influencers who were subjected to Meta's
discriminatory practices. The report shows how the company systematically suppresses Palestinian
content—especially during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. According to the testimonies, these policies not
only silence Palestinian voices, but also enable hate speech and incitement against them. This violates
core rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and political participation, harms the digital economy in
Palestinian society, and worsens the psychological toll of constant surveillance and digital repression.
Many women across different countries echoed similar complaints in the studies: that social media
companies respond slowly and ineffectively when they report abuse, and that they fail to remove
harmful content quickly enough to prevent damage to victims.
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