The Israeli-Palestinian conflict : an understanding of antisemitic social media posts as perceived by professionals

Abstract

Data on antisemitic hate crimes from a number of European countries signalises an overall increasing trend. Significant increases and decreases in an-semi-c hate crimes in a number of countries further correlate with an escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the wake of this increasing trend, the proliferation of social media platforms in everyday life has created a digital agora that transcends geographical boundaries and gives rise to cyberhate. In the backdrop of increasing cyberhate, which has slowly gained the attention of European authorities, this study looks at the shift in the online sphere that is triggered by an escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It evaluates shifts in impact and discourse and triangulates findings to understand the ensuing processes. Using an exploratory sequential design rooted in computational criminology, the study uses textual data from social media posts and eight interview sessions held with professionals. The collected data underwent univariate statistical comparison and thematic analysis, and a triangulation exercise underpins the findings. Findings suggest that despite the conflict’s perpetual existence, a clear shift is observable in the online sphere which is characterised by increasing an-semi-c rhetoric and an increase in posts which incite violence. Furthermore, an element of stigma is observable through a labelling mechanism employed by posters. Interview findings allowed for the creation of a typology of posters and data triangulation allowed for the conceptualisation of an escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a moral panic in Europe. The study closes with recommendations proposed by the interviewed participants and outlines suggestions for future research initiatives.