Here is a sample of how Israel’s ground offensive into Gaza was playing out on Twitter in Arabic and Hebrew.
Tweets in Arabic
*A young Palestinian named Mustafa Abu Zir tweeted this morning from Gaza, “the electricity has been cut to our neighborhood for 18 hours.. my laptop and phone battery died and we have become isolated from the outside world. #Gaza Under Fire”
الكهرباء مقطوعة على منطقتنا منذ 18 ساعة .. Ù†Ùذت بطارية اللابتوب والمØمول وعزلنا عن العالم الخارجي .. #غزة_تØت_القصÙ
— مصطÙÙ‰ أبو زر- غزة (@MustafAbuZir) July 18, 2014
*Mournful observers outside of Gaza have also used Twitter to re-post graphic pictures of dead children and of families overwhelmed by grief. One Saudi professor with more than 300,000 followers tweeted a photo of dead children — before they died. “The criminal Zionists Israel killed these two boys yesterday while they were playing. #Gaza will overcome, as evil is only temporary; and God will not forget the deeds of the morally corrupt.”
قتل الصهاينة المجرمون أمس هذين الطÙلين وهما يلعبان. ستنتصر #غزة، لأن الباطل كان زهوقا؛ لأن الله لا ÙŠØµÙ„Ø Ø¹Ù…Ù„ المÙسدين! pic.twitter.com/s6QcaxP2qK
— Ø£Øمد بن راشد بن سعيد (@LoveLiberty) July 18, 2014
*Arab politicians took to twitter too to mourn and urge action. An official in Egypt’s Salafist Nour party tweeted, “the ground attack on our family in Gaza is of the greatest stupidity, as only innocents will pay the price; there is no alternative to an Arab and Islamic alliance that will face the enemy; no more talk about half-solutions.”
الهجوم البري على أهلنا ÙÙŠ غزة Øماقة كبرى يدÙع ثمنها الأبرياء Ø› لا بديل عن اصطÙا٠عربي وإسلامي لمواجهة العدوان Ø› ولا Øديث عن أنصا٠الØلول .
— نادر بكار (@naderbakkar) July 18, 2014
*It is clear that Arab twitter users display an immense amount of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, and in certain places a very palpable empathy, such as this sentiment displayed on a wall in Dara’a, considered the birthplace of the uprising against the regime in Syria. “The wounds of Dara’a are speaking: ‘have patience, oh Gaza.’”
أمتنا تهزأ بالØدود.. أمتنا تØطّم القيود.. أمتنا تجود وتجود.. أمتنا تعود.. Ùأين المÙر يا يهود..ØŸ الصورة من درعا. #غزة pic.twitter.com/T0mYRvUaz3
— Ø£Øمد بن راشد بن سعيد (@LoveLiberty) July 18, 2014
But Arabic-language tweets are also shot through with politics and with anger at Arab politicians.
*The Egyptian government’s failed effort at a Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire this week was deeply compromised by Egypt’s own political scene, in which the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organization (and some of its members sentenced to death). Many Islamists and their sympathizers thus view the regime of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as a sell-out — as shown in this photoshopped image, in which Sisi’s shirt reads, “Sympathize with Israel.”
#GazaUnderAttack To follow the latest news Gaza have followed this account on Twitter @Against_israel ) #غزة_تقاوم pic.twitter.com/7BmSm1JjaS
— الÙرقد (@ahmad_awd_) July 17, 2014
The twitter user Arab-Leaks, which promises to reveal the secrets of Arab governments, similarly tweeted a sarcastic image of the Arabs’ battle plan to save Gaza.
استنÙار عربي لنصرة غزة . pic.twitter.com/oGCkdGkQEd
— ويكليكس | Arab-Leaks (@WikLaeks) July 18, 2014
Tweets in Hebrew
*“That’s it, there in. With God’s help they will all come back safely.”
זהו ×”× × ×›× ×¡×•. בעזרת ×”×©× ×©×›×•×œ× ×™×—×–×¨×• בשלו×. #צוק×יתן
— Edden Toppol (@eddentoppol) July 17, 2014
*”It is a matter of a day or two before they get out of there. Simply because they are running out of people to interview on TV.”
×¢× ×™×™×Ÿ של יו×-×™×•×ž×™×™× ×•×¦×¨×™×š ×™×”×™×” לצ×ת מש×, פשוט ×›×™ ייהמרו המרו××™×™× ×™× ×œ××•×œ×¤× ×™× #צוק×יתן
— Avi Muskal (@muskal) July 18, 2014
*”Let’s all pray for peace, peace in Gaza and in Israel. May the soldiers come back home safely. Amen. A peaceful day to all of us!”
בו×ו × ×ª×¤×œ×œ למען השלו×, ×©×œ×•× ×¢×–×” וישר×ל. ושיחזרו ×”×—×™×™×œ×™× ×”×‘×™×ª×” בשלו×! ×מן. ×™×•× ×©×§×˜ ורהוע ×œ×›×•×œ× ×•! #צוק×יתן
— JaYannah Morad (@JayMorad) July 18, 2014
*”The earth is trembling; the adrenaline rushing in, the pressure is growing and the prayers are getting stronger. May the soldiers come back safely and may God protect all of our soldiers.”
×”×המה רועהת, ×”××”×¨× ×œ×™×Ÿ עולה, הלחץ הובר והתפילות מתחזקות. שרק יחזרו ×‘×©×œ×•× ×•×©××œ×•×”×™× ×™×©×ž×•×¨ על כל ×”×—×™×™×œ×™× ×©×œ× ×•! #צוק×יתן pic.twitter.com/2XNzkm3Bw4
— #YAEL☮ (@yael_hazan) July 17, 2014
*”One who fires from his home is responsible for a response on his home and his family. Israel will not attack #Arabs (or anyone) anywhere in the world except when its citizens are being attacked.”
@arbiv2lo מי שיורה מביתו בהחלט ×חר××™ לתהובה × ×”×” ×‘× ×™ ביתו! #ישר×ל ×œ× ×ª×•×§×¤×ª #×¢×¨×‘×™× (ו××£ ××—×”) ×‘×©×•× ×ž×§×•× ×‘×¢×•×œ× ×–×•×œ×ª היכן ×©×ª×•×§×¤×™× ×ת ×זרחיה.
— meir bar מ×יר בר (@meir_bar) July 15, 2014
*”This is how i like the IDF #IDF #Rough #Gaza #Protectiveedge #war #arabs #Terrorists”
×›×›×” ×× ×™ ×והב ×ת צה”ל ðŸ˜ðŸ˜‚😂 #צה“ל #כסח #×¢×–×” #צוק×יתן #מלחמה #×¢×¨×‘×™×™× #×¢×¨×‘×™× #×ž×—×‘×œ×™× pic.twitter.com/6fDPuXaHbs
— צורי×ל הומן (@Zurael_Duman) July 18, 2014
