On 7 October, the world marked one year since Hamas’ horrific attack on Israel. Nearly 1,200 people were killed, 815 of whom were civilians; 251 people were taken hostage, and at least 97 are still held in Gaza, with many feared dead.
Israel’s retaliatory war, characterised by blatant disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law, has so far claimed over 42,000 Palestinian lives and displaced 90% of Gaza’s population. There is no resolution in sight to a conflict that has caused immeasurable suffering in Palestine, both in Gaza and the West Bank, and now in the wider region, particularly Lebanon.
In the face of these horrors, protecting freedom of expression may seem of secondary importance. It is not. Attacks on free expression in Israel and Palestine, in the region and internationally, contribute to the wide scale suffering, perpetuate violence, and enable an utter lack of accountability.
Israel's intensified censorship efforts – the unprecedented number of journalists killed, the ban on international media operations, communication blackouts and restrictions on coverage of the war domestically – stifle efforts to document and report, posing a real threat to our collective right to access information.
The resulting information vacuum continues to be exploited, with Israel engaging in coordinated disinformation campaigns aimed at ‘dismissing and discrediting Palestinians narratives’ and Hamas using social media to spread fear and disinformation. For their part, social media companies continue to fall short of their responsibilities, failing to protect the free expression of Palestinians and stop the amplification of disinformation and hate speech – with a profound impact on the public’s understanding of the conflict.
As international bodies investigate potential war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, they should take into account the severe violations of freedom of expression documented in this conflict. The killings of journalists, stringent censorship measures, and communication blackouts enforced by Israel have seriously impeded the ability to document violations of international law in Palestine and play a role in fostering a culture of impunity and enabling further crimes.
We reiterate our call for an immediate end to hostilities. We demand justice and accountability for human rights violations and immediate action to protect freedom of expression – so vital at a time of conflict.
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