In light of the current situation in Palestine, students of the Palestinian Cultural Club at the Lebanese American University hosted an online discussion with the Palestinian YouTuber Saleh Zighari to address the current occurrences in Palestine.
Activism comes in distinct forms, and to Zighari, videography is how he communicates his Palestinian identity to his followers and the rest of the world. With more than 500, 000 followers on Instagram and almost 300, 000 subscribers on YouTube, the 24-year-old Zighari who is a resident of Jerusalem has been raising awareness about the Palestinian’s cause through digital activism. However, Zighari’s journey was not smooth sailing. In 2016, he was detained by the occupation for 56 days due to his activism content on Instagram. Currently, the Israeli government has also opened investigations against him.
According to Zighari, resistance is effective in all its colors and shapes, even when it is as simple as raising the Palestinian flag and waving it in the face of oppression.
“Their problem with the Palestinian flag goes beyond the danger the flag resembles, but it being a proof of Palestinian existence and resistance,” said Zighari. “Palestinians in occupied Palestine are raising the Palestinian flag high to tell the occupation that our identity as Palestinians would never be revoked or reckoned with.”
As Zighari mentions, most Arab countries were never an aiding hand during the 1948 war, and even up until now. Moreover, the normalization of relations with Israel is becoming even more prominent in the Arab world, which might serve as a factor of tension among Palestinians and Arabs. Fortunately, this time around, many Arabs from different Arab countries united to support the Palestinian cause and especially through digital activism.
“Rulers don’t represent their people, and many individuals go under investigation and arrest even for being an advocate for Palestinians,” said Zighari.
Ways in which the Israeli government uses to silence Palestinians do not end at unjust arrests and beatings, nor does it end at alienating Palestinians and their cause from the rest of the world.
“The Israeli government tries to close down Palestinian businesses and send Palestinians out of the land by imposing high taxes and fines,” said Zighari. “This economic pressure is a tactic the Israeli government started using after oppression and ethnic cleansing failed to kick us out.”
Zighari believes today that a two-state solution is not possible, and Israel should not be recognized as a country. Palestinians have been resisting for 73 years in Palestine and will continue to do so.
“This is a void entity that came into the land of Palestine and terrorized it, so no peace will exist until they’re all out of our land,” Zighari ended.