In an effort to keep the conversation about Palestine moving forward, the Palestinian Cultural Club at the Lebanese American University hosted an interactive online discussion about the current situation in Jerusalem with the Palestinian blogger Adnan Barq.
The English literature graduate at Bethlehem University, Adnan Barq, uses his specialty towards enriching his Instagram’s content and making it bilingual. In the recent events and with the censorship of Palestinian content on social media platforms, Barq spoke out on his Instagram through a powerful statement where he confronted the application regarding its virtual apartheid.
“Virtual apartheid is real. All Palestinian activists and content creators are being censored and limited now more than ever. I and my other Palestinian friends are noticing this,” he posted. Followed by that, Barq mentioned Instagram’s official website in his caption, asking Instagram to stop being discriminatory against Palestinians.
According to Barq, Israel’s apartheid works in different ways to racially profile Palestinians and have power in the area.
“They call Palestinians in occupied Palestine Arabs and only the ones living in the West Bank Palestinians,” said Barq during the online discussion. “This is their way of spreading their propaganda and racism worldwide.”
Additionally, Barq discussed solidarity with the Palestinian cause and the injustice people in Gaza are going through for the sake of Palestine’s liberation.
“The events happening in Al Quds mainly caused massacres in Gaza and affected the livelihood of its people,” said Barq. “What was the crime of people in Gaza to have rockets destroy their homes for the sake of us, the people of Jerusalem? We all want to see Palestine liberated, but some people want to live, and Gazans don’t seem to have that right.”
In a small and overly populated territory besieged by the Israeli-Egyptian government since 2007, the quality of life in Gaza is considered poor. In that year, Israel declared the Gaza strip to be hostile under the rule of Hamas and thus imposed sanctions that caused electricity shortages, restricted imports, and border closures. According to the United Nations, Israel’s lack of respect for international law has been the cause of several civilian casualties in Gaza, especially during clashes at the borders. As 38% of Gazans live in poverty and 54% are food insecure, life in Gaza is already difficult for survival.
According to Barq, the recent attacks on Gaza only worsened the situation, making life harder to live in the area.
“The women and children in Gaza are paying the price for a crime they didn’t commit and a war they didn’t choose to fight in,” said Barq.
Barq also discussed Israel’s racial segregation in the recent attacks on Sheikh Jarrah emphasizing that he experienced racism first hand when he, along with other Palestinians, weren’t allowed into the area while Israelis were always happily welcomed.
While media coverage was present in the area, Israel’s unjust treatment of Palestinians was seen on television and in international news. The social media coverage by influencers also played a big role in spreading the word to the world.
“The arrest of both Mona and Mohammed Al-Kurd showed what Israel is really about and how it’s continually trying to silence our voices,” said Barq. “The last movement didn’t happen out of nowhere, it was an accumulation of 72 years of massacres, ethnic cleansing, violence, and injustice in all its forms.”
As every Palestinian, Barq hopes for a better future for Palestinians where they can live freely in a country they can call their own. He believes that through education and the power of knowledge, Palestine will know freedom in a way it never has.
“The recent Palestinian generation has the power to go places and spread the narrative,” Barq mentioned. “We don’t want people to fight through only weapons anymore, but through our stories towards the Palestinian freedom and dignity.”