Hate Speech
Monitoring and deconstructing hate speech in the public sphere, and proposing interventions to protect civil peace and the social fabric.
Monitoring and deconstructing hate speech in the public sphere, and proposing interventions to protect civil peace and the social fabric.
Key recommendations
- Legislate a balanced hate-speech law that protects freedom of expression and criminalises incitement.
- Establish a permanent national observatory to monitor hate speech and publish regular reports.
- Add a 'safe digital media' subject to the secondary school curriculum.
At a glance
- Fall in hate speech after PalThink campaigns — 23%
- Journalists trained in monitoring and reporting — 67%
Timeline
- November 2025 — Report: mapping digital hate speech — 14,000 online posts monitored and classified by incitement and severity.
- June 2025 — Training workshop for journalists — 40 journalists trained in monitoring hate speech and handling it responsibly.
- January 2025 — Foundational study on hate speech — The first comprehensive Palestinian study of hate speech in the local context.
Frequently asked questions
- How does PalThink define hate speech? — Any speech that incites discrimination, violence or hatred towards a group on the basis of identity — gender, religion or political affiliation — whether in public or digital space.
- Is government censorship the answer? — No. Our research shows that codified legislation with safeguards for freedom of expression is the better approach, alongside media literacy and the role of family and community in confronting the problem.
- What is the relationship between political crises and hate speech? — The data show a 340% rise in hate speech during periods of political unrest, which confirms the need for early-warning observatories as a preventive tool.