Israeli Police arrested two Palestinians from eastern Jerusalem for posting videos on the TikTok social media platform encouraging violence and terror on Tuesday night, the police announced on Wednesday morning.
Jerusalem police have increased their monitoring of online incitement ahead of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins on Wednesday night.
The two suspects, ages 22 and 17, are suspected of posting videos with content encouraging violence and threats. Their videos also praised Palestinians killed in terror attacks as “martyrs.” In one video, they said, “For God we will live and die until liberation, what fun for the martyr’s mother.”
The prevalence of cellular phone use in eastern Jerusalem is higher than in Tel Aviv. The use of social networks in Arab countries is nearly double that of the West, and eastern Jerusalem is no exception.
When asked about social networks exposing Palestinian teens to images of mutilated corpses and axes dripping with blood, one parent told the Tazpit Press Service after a February car-ramming attack, ““You should return us to the Stone Age and close the social networks.”
Last year, a surge of Palestinian terror attacks began in the spring around Ramadan, killing 19 people. Israel responded by launching an ongoing sweep against terror in Judea and Samaria, which has thwarted 500 terror attacks and arrested more than 2,500 suspects.
The police said they would continue to monitor social media and act against incitement.