A report by the Movement to Combat Anti-Semitism Online (FOA) and the Zionist Organization shows that there has been a worrying increase not only in the number of anti-Semitic incidents on social media - but also in their violence.
According to the report, which shows a 400% increase in anti-Semitic discourse online - 18% of the anti-Semitic content online includes calls for physical harm to Jews, compared to 4.5% in the past.
The use of the term "Zionists" as a tool to defame Jews and Israelis led META (Facebook) to update its policy and explicitly prohibit the use of this word on its platforms, with the aim of combating the phenomenon of anti-Semitism and encouraging more respectful discourse online.
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The findings highlight Israel's current physical and propaganda struggle, and indicate a significant increase in support for terrorism and incitement to violence against Jews following the events of October 7.
The report's data indicates that YouTube leads in removing antisemitic content, with a rate of 45%, while Twitter removed only 6.82% of the content.
As of May 2024, 21,478 profiles and 33,533 pieces of content related to the hashtag #zionist were found. Of these, 12,605 were posts and 20,928 were comments, with 7,790 of them identified as being generated by artificial intelligence.
Tomer Aldubi, CEO of the Movement to Combat Anti-Semitism Online: "Online anti-Semitism continues to spread and poses a global challenge in the digital age. Online platforms are a central arena for spreading hatred and prejudice against Jews, with the anonymity and accessibility of social networks enabling the rapid distribution of anti-Semitic content, including conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial, and demonization of Israel.".
""Studies show that online anti-Semitism sometimes leads to physical violence, highlighting the need for urgent action by technology companies, governments, and social organizations to eradicate the phenomenon." .
""Social networks bring together many more people than any country on its own, so this policy should be seen as a moral milestone on which to base decisions in our social and political reality as well.""
Head of the Department for Combating Anti-Semitism at the Zionist Organization, Dr. Racheli Bartz: "The basis of anti-Semitic outbursts today stems from social networks, where the word 'Zionist' has become one of the worst curses on the Internet. Since we live in a digital age and an adjective directed at a Jew has become a curse, it is understandable that we will see the consequences of this on the street as well.".
