Facebook's Own Israeli-Palestinian Dispute
Can there be virtual border disputes and rival claims to a country even online? Apparently so, as Facebook found itself being criticized by both Palestinian and Israeli members who live in the West Bank.
The popular online social networking site was, for a time, identifying Israeli settlers whose homes are in the West Bank as being residents of Palestine. The settlers disagreed and threatened to close their Facebook accounts -- plus they claimed Facebook was making a political statement. In response, Facebook decided to allow people who live in the West Bank to choose either Israel or Palestine as their home.
But this move has upset many Palestinian residents of the West Bank.
Now there are people on both sides who have created Facebook groups with names like "It's not Israel, It's Palestine" and, of course, "It's not Palestine, It's Israel."
At least their arguments are simple, even if the underlying problem is not.
Maybe someone can come up with a Facebook group where people from both sides can join?
From Reuters.
Related links:
The popular online social networking site was, for a time, identifying Israeli settlers whose homes are in the West Bank as being residents of Palestine. The settlers disagreed and threatened to close their Facebook accounts -- plus they claimed Facebook was making a political statement. In response, Facebook decided to allow people who live in the West Bank to choose either Israel or Palestine as their home.But this move has upset many Palestinian residents of the West Bank.
Now there are people on both sides who have created Facebook groups with names like "It's not Israel, It's Palestine" and, of course, "It's not Palestine, It's Israel."
At least their arguments are simple, even if the underlying problem is not.
Maybe someone can come up with a Facebook group where people from both sides can join?
From Reuters.
Related links:
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
hotred @ Mar 18th 2008 2:24PM
um..i've been to the west bank. according to the science at the archeaological digs i've been on the jews have been living in JUDEA- that's where they got their name!- and founded Jerusalem at the beginning of the Bronze Age c. 3000-2800 BCE. in more recent times after the Ottomans colonized Israel they built a Muslim Mosque on top of the Jews only holy site the Temple Mount. till this day Jews are only allowed to touch one wall of that holy site - known as the 'wailing wall' - because Muslims prohibit Jews from entering the Jewish temple.
stop focusing on religion and propaganda and pay attention to science and you will see that the jews and isrealis are not 'settlers'.
there are jewish towns that are hundreds of years old in the 'west bank'. how are they 'settlers'?