The Palestine Digital Activism Forum opened on Monday, bringing together activists, journalists, and technologists to examine how control over digital narratives has become a struggle for survival in today’s online spaces .
Organised by 7amleh , The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, the two-day 'The Battle over the Palestinian Digital Narrative in the Information Age' event explores how platforms, algorithms, and state influence shape global perceptions of the Palestine question.
The organisers described the digital sphere as a "battleground where stories, images, and memories are amplified, distorted, or erased", warning that the manipulation of online discourse now determines what the world sees and what is silenced.
Speakers highlighted how tools such as algorithmic bias, government-led influence campaigns, monetised disinformation, and artificial intelligence are deployed to influence the global debate.
Participants pointed out how repressive tactics like the covert blocking of content, denial of platform monetisation, and coordinated smear campaigns have targeted pro-Palestinian voices.
The forum seeks to draw attention to the human cost of such digital repression, linking it to the systematic silencing and killing of journalists, the erasure of Palestinian cultural memory, and the destruction of Gaza’s communications infrastructure.
Organisers say these efforts work together to isolate Palestinians digitally and physically, burying living testimonies from the occupied territories.
7amleh identified accountability as the central thread of the conference, with calls to hold both states and major technology companies responsible for amplifying propaganda and enforcing asymmetrical moderation policies during crises such as the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank . Reclaiming the Palestinian narrative Among the opening speakers was Dr. Mustafa Barghouti , Secretary General and Co-Founder of the Palestinian National Initiative, who framed the struggle over online narratives as integral to the broader political battle.
"The battle over the Palestinian narrative is as important as the other battles on the field", Barghouti said to the audience, emphasising that it can "transform resistance into tangible political results and influence the minds of people".
Barghouti urged a renewed focus on educating Palestinians and Arab audiences about their own narrative, arguing that Israeli framing has permeated even local discourse.
He also challenged the misuse of certain terminology like 'terrorism' to describe Palestinian resistance, calling it part of an effort to "break the will and determination" of the Palestinian cause, saying that disinformation in language has real-world consequences.
Despite international recognition of Gaza and the West Bank as occupied territories, he said, many media outlets now describe them as "disputed" or "conflicted" areas, echoing Israeli political narratives.
Barghouti also cited the distortion of the Palestinian right of return, an internationally recognised principle, into a "negotiable right", as well as the Western media’s focus on the 7 October attacks while omitting the context of the Nakba and decades of occupation.
Monday’s sessions ranged from the use of open-source intelligence (OSINT) to counter Israeli disinformation to discussions on ensuring social media accountability during wartime censorship.
Speakers include Rima Hassan, French-Palestinian human rights advocate and member of the European Parliament, Dr. Husam Zomlot, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, and founder of the pro-Palestinian platform UpScrolled, Essam Hegazi.
The conference will continue on Tuesday with practical workshops aimed at equipping attendees with the tools to reclaim and defend Palestinian sovereignty over their digital narrative.