In August 1945, shortly before the end of World War II, George Orwell published his allegorical Animal Farm, depicting pigs who take over a farm, and weaponize patriotism to inflict atrocities that leave them little different from the men they had overthrown.
Ostensibly a political satire of the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, its echoes are visible even today—especially in the Muslim world amidst ongoing Israeli atrocities against Palestinians.
Whether Jordan, Egypt, or Lebanon, the states bordering Israel and Palestine have repeatedly failed to hold Tel Aviv in check, ignoring the massacre of Palestinians. While calling for the immediate halt to hostilities, Jordan’s King Abdullah II has repeatedly pushed back on any attempts by Palestinians to seek refuge in his state. None of these Muslim states tolerate protests against Israel, while Egypt even hampers the transport of life-saving aid under pressure from Israel and its backer, the United States.
Historically, any support for Palestine from the Middle East’s Muslim states has been, at best, half-hearted. Apart from empty pledges of unending support, they have made clear this is not their problem—and the Palestinians are not their people. For 75 years, Palestinian refugees in Egypt have not been recognized as either refugees or citizens, unable to access many basic human rights. Jordan still refuses to acknowledge its role in prolonging this conflict through the annexation of the West Bank in 1948. Instead, the world is repeatedly oversold on the concept of Muslim unity, even as Arab nations continue to avoid taking any ownership for resolving the conflict. Muslim leaders claim to want the best for the men, women and children of Palestine, but their actions betray their personal agendas and self-serving interests.
The extent to which the divide between the narrative and ground realities differs is gauged through an informal survey. Of roughly 90 respondents from across the globe—an admittedly small sample size—a majority in Muslim countries outside Pakistan, across demographics, favored Palestine’s neighboring Muslim countries taking control of it. This prevalent view ignores not only the actions of the Arab states, reflecting the echo chambers that have flourished in the age of social media, but also the preferences of Palestinians themselves, who have never shied from demanding an independent state.
Such echo chambers boost pre-existing views, encourage biases, and discourage the intake of any information that provokes questions. This hampers an individual’s ability to examine independent facts, clouding judgment, as is evident from how most people approach the Israel-Palestine conflict. An examining of historical facts makes clear that while Israel is undoubtedly the aggressor in the current conflict, Arab states and Palestinian leaders have played their own role in escalating tensions in the past.
Unfortunately, social media—particularly Instagram and X—boost this tunnel vision by algorithmically providing users with targeted content. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has admitted this is a feature, not a bug, with the algorithm collecting data and balancing thousands of metrics to ensure the content shown fits one’s interests, beliefs. This is, on the face of it, a less overt form of disinformation, a genuine problem that states globally are struggling to tackle.
Nowhere is this more evident than popular social media platform Reddit, consisting mostly of a younger demographic. Reddit’s “front page” often features posts and comments that highlight an “us vs. them” narrative, with significant pushback on any content that counters conventional wisdom. In recent years, criticism has taken to branding such “offending” posts as “fake” or manufactured using artificial intelligence. Rather than encouraging users to re-examine personal beliefs that do not align with reality, such platforms highlight the dangers posed by entrenched views that refuse to change in the face of facts.
Countering disinformation and echo chambers is necessary to get a holistic view of the world. Not only would doing so boost the public’s understanding of global affairs, but would also provide better evidence for any cause people might align with.
Being aware of how Egyptian authorities deal with Palestinian refugees would encourage the next generation to pressure their leaders into implementing pro-Palestine legislature and finally accepting the displaced Palestinians as citizens. Even in Pakistan, an examination of the facts from multiple viewpoints can enable citizens to push their political figures to do more for several issues—from Palestine, to the economy and even equitable distribution of resources.
The world is watching, and will continue to watch. But if it doesn’t take care about what it watches, activist Ruben Blades’ warning could become prophecy: “I think we risk becoming the best-informed society that has ever died of ignorance.”