YouTube has quietly deleted over 700 videos documenting Israeli human rights violations, according to a tally by the Intercept. These videos were posted on the channels of three prominent Palestinian human rights groups: Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
The deletion came in response to US government sanctions against these organizations, which accused them of collaborating with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in cases charging Israeli officials with war crimes. The ICC had issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant in November 2024.
YouTube's decision to delete the videos was made without prior warning to the groups, according to Al-Haq. The group stated that YouTube's move "protects perpetrators from accountability" and silences Palestinian voices.
The deleted videos included investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes, testimonies of Palestinians tortured by Israeli forces, and documentaries highlighting the effects of Israeli actions on civilians. Some videos remain available through copies saved on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine or on alternate platforms.
YouTube has a history of unevenly applying its community guidelines to censor Palestinian voices while withholding similar scrutiny from pro-Israeli content. The move has raised concerns that other tech companies may follow suit, setting a precedent for censorship in the US.
"This is not going to end with Palestine," said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now. "They are basically allowing the Trump administration to dictate what information they share with the global audience."
The deletion came in response to US government sanctions against these organizations, which accused them of collaborating with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in cases charging Israeli officials with war crimes. The ICC had issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant in November 2024.
YouTube's decision to delete the videos was made without prior warning to the groups, according to Al-Haq. The group stated that YouTube's move "protects perpetrators from accountability" and silences Palestinian voices.
The deleted videos included investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes, testimonies of Palestinians tortured by Israeli forces, and documentaries highlighting the effects of Israeli actions on civilians. Some videos remain available through copies saved on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine or on alternate platforms.
YouTube has a history of unevenly applying its community guidelines to censor Palestinian voices while withholding similar scrutiny from pro-Israeli content. The move has raised concerns that other tech companies may follow suit, setting a precedent for censorship in the US.
"This is not going to end with Palestine," said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now. "They are basically allowing the Trump administration to dictate what information they share with the global audience."
. I mean, think about it - we're talking about US government sanctions here, and YouTube just deletes these videos without warning. It's like they're silencing an entire community's voice. And let's be real, this isn't an isolated incident, YouTube has been a bit hit-or-miss with their content moderation policy, especially when it comes to Palestinian voices. They need to get their act together and not pick and choose who gets censored 
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. It's all too easy to say "oh, they're just silencing Palestinian voices", but where are the checks on this kind of censorship from the other side? I mean, what about pro-Israeli content that's questionable or inflammatory? 
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This whole thing just feels really suspicious and I don't trust YouTube as much as I used to 
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It's like, come on guys, let's have a conversation about human rights here! 
! How can YouTube just delete all that important info without even warning the orgs? 
. I mean, isn't that against their community guidelines? 
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. This is a slippery slope for all the marginalized groups 
. If big tech companies can just dictate what info gets shared, it's like they're controlling our minds 
! We need more transparency and accountability 
or other platforms 
. This is a dark day for free speech 
. I mean, what's next? They gonna start deleting content from other human rights organizations too? 
. I'm all for transparency and accountability, but this just feels like another example of Israel getting special treatment 
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. We need more platforms that prioritize truth-telling over corporate interests 
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what's the deal with all these sanctions and how they're affecting free speech online? need some sources on this 
I'm so grateful for ppl like Sarah Leah Whitson speaking out against this censorship, it's not going to stand 
. First, it's YouTube deleting videos about human rights violations in Palestine, now it's like they're playing into the hands of the US government by censoring Palestinian voices 
. It's not just about the videos being deleted, it's about the precedent they're setting for other tech companies to follow suit 
to distract us from the real issues? The more I think about it, the more I believe there's some shady stuff going down behind the scenes 
. This isn't over yet, folks! 
. As Sarah Leah Whitson said, "They are basically allowing the Trump administration to dictate what information they share with the global audience." 
this is a huge deal and its super worrying 
its not just about palestine, its about freedom of expression and whats considered a crime in the first place 
. This is exactly what happens when corporations get too cozy with governments 
. We need to hold these big tech companies accountable for their actions and not let them dictate what's newsworthy or not 
It's not like these orgs are asking for a Nobel Peace Prize or anything. They're just trying to hold Israel accountable for war crimes and protect Palestinian lives.
It's like they're playing both sides against each other. The US government sanctions these orgs and then YouTube comes along and deletes their vids? Sounds like a coordinated effort to silence dissenting voices.
al-haq said youtube did this w/o warning them tho, which is super shady... these vids were documenting real crimes & injustices & now they just vanished into thin air 
I'm sure this won't lead to a slippery slope where all sorts of content gets scrubbed from the internet. Nope, not gonna happen. 
? cant even trust youtube anymore... 700 vids gone poof and no one says a word about it 
. it's not right, these groups were just trying to shed light on important issues & now they're silenced 
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️. Guess we'll just have to keep an eye on this...and try to save some of those deleted videos