The hashtag conflict: social media players in the Israeli-Palestinian crisis and the battle for public opinion

Abstract

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has taken place across various arenas and social media has undoubtedly become a major battlefield that draws global attention. Many key media players including legacy outlets such as The Guardian and The New York Times, counter-hegemonic media represented by news platforms like Al-Jazeera and France24, NGOs and activists as well as official government spokespersons employ social networking sites to share information and to fight for public opinion. This paper looks at these four groups and their online engagements concerning two key recent episodes in the Israeli-Palestinian crisis -Sheikh Jarrah and Nakba74- and reveals how this battle takes place not only in real life but also through social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Moreover, the analysis of the hashtags is conducted to indicate which side of the conflict gains more attention on these platforms.