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Does the independence of Palestine already exist on the Web? Not really. But "acquiring a domain name for Palestine is something very symbolic," says Adam Hanieh, Webmaster at Bir Zeit University in Ramallah. Web traffic from Palestine still transits through Israeli servers, which means that controls aren't limited to people and goods, but include information as well. The controls remain limited on the Internet, however, since only 6.5% of the population, or 33,000 homes, in the West Bank and Gaza even have computers, according to the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics. Things are changing quickly, though, as public access to the Internet multiplies -- even in refugee camps -- and publications and organizations discover the added value of the Web. In 1997, East Jerusalem had just one Web café. Today, Ramallah alone has 22 Web of them, and there are at least 40 others in the territories. "The Internet is a tool invented for the Palestinians," says Hanan Ashrawi, founder of human-rights group Miftah. "It's a way to reconnect and to reorganize the Palestinians. And that's essential for a nation where two-thirds of the population is in exile." SKIRTING THE CENSORS. As the Internet becomes an essential source of information, it is equally turning into a powerful weapon. Already today, certain newspapers circumvent Israeli censors, which demand a copy prior to publishing, by using the Web. "If a caricature is likely to cause a problem, we just put it online on our site," says Maher El-Sheikh, editor in chief of the prestigious Palestinian daily Al-Quds. Other groups and organizations also use the Web as a precious information tool. In fact, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) were actually the first to invest in the Web, and today they represent one-third of the 300 sites hosted in the territories. On Oct. 1, during the most violent riots to rock Gaza and the West Bank in four years, a Palestinian NGO, Al-Damir, created an information page on its site. This way, the organization could provide online hourly coverage of events, including photos, testimonies, and an exhaustive list of the victims, including their names, ages, and cities of origin. Bir Zeit University took a similar initiative in 1996, when the city of Ramallah was surrounded by Israeli tanks. The Internet is not only a source of information but also a means by which Palestinians, and in particular refugees, can make themselves heard. Computers have been set up in refugee camps like Dheisheh in the West Bank, Khan Younis in Gaza, and Chatila in Lebanon. The Ibdaa cultural center in Dheisheh also began a project called "Across Borders" in July, 1999, which was started by Bir Zeit and Oxfam, an international NGO. Before the center burned down in August of this year, refugees had set up their own Web sites to tell their stories. Children at the camp would talk to their families about their history, the circumstances of their exile in 1948, and the State of Israel. "All these stories were translated into English and then posted online," says Wesley Penner, a Canadian volunteer at Oxfam. Rallying on the Web has given Palestinians the power to fight for what they believe in. Last year, for example, fast-food restaurant Burger King gave franchise rights to a restaurant in Maale Adumim, the biggest Jewish colony in the West Bank. For many, this was a recognition of Israeli sovereignty in a territory which, according to U.N. resolutions, should be given back to the Palestinians. As a result, various NGOs began campaigning on the Web. International news groups had not picked up on the event, but once the online lobbying began, the news hit the front pages of different Arab dailies. In the end, Burger King decided to pull out of Maale Adumim. This and other victories remain symbolic, of course. But it is true that in a cut-up and largely occupied land where all traffic is heavily controlled by Israel, the Internet remains the only real solution for reorganizing and reconnecting the Palestinian people. Of course the true goal, says Hanieh, is far from being merely symbolic. "All initiatives taken on the Web are motivated by two things: the return of the refugees and the sovereignty of our land." By Stéphane Foucart Translated by Inka Resch |
