CBN News quotes Itamar Marcus, director of PMW, as he comments on PA elections, social media tensions and riots in Jerusalem

Social Media, Agitators Among Arabs and Jews, Contributing to Jerusalem Violence

Could social media be driving recent clashes between Jews and Arabs around Jerusalem’s Old City?  One name going around is the Tik Tok Intifadah. And in addition to social media, politics and the Abraham Accords also play a part.

One of the videos on Tik Tok showing an Arab slapping two Orthodox Jews who were riding on public transportation, reportedly spread like wildfire among Palestinians, encouraging more attacks.

Now, multiple Tik Tok videos are getting blamed for adding fuel to clashes between Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem.

“What happens is the Palestinian Authority gets the whole environment very tense and it creates a lot of anger, it creates a lot of terror energy in the background. And then what happens is all you need is one Tik Tok video and all of a sudden, you’re going to get a lot of copycats,” said Itamar Marcus, director of the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW).

Much of the trouble has taken place at the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City. During their holy month of Ramadan, Muslims often gather here in the evening after a day of fasting.

Marcus sees election politics as the source of this latest violence.

“In the past, when there’s talk about elections both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority would increase the violence and the terror. In fact, we’ve had full terror waves in the past, because the way Hamas and Fatah, compete for votes and compete for popularity is through terror and killing Israelis,” Marcus told CBN News.

Marcus uses the 2014 Gaza War against Israel as a prime example.  That year, Palestinian election polls showed the Fatah party clearly leading over Hamas.  Sensing a loss, Hamas kidnaped and murdered three Israelis as they waited for a bus in the West bank.  That led to war, Hamas rose in the polls and the elections were cancelled.

“The shocking thing then was that Hamas, which clearly had been defeated and brought 2,000 deaths on Gaza yet was perceived by Palestinians as having been victorious over Israel because Israelis had to sit in the shelters,” Marcus said.

According to Marcus, Fatah posted a video that states “There is an uprising and intifadah in Jerusalem.”  

The Palestinian Authority just canceled a planned election again although Marcus says he’s not sure the violence is over.