The Blogs: When Social Justice Becomes a Tool for Terrorists

Weaponized Activism: An Inside Look at How Terror Groups Exploit Social Justice

“ I’ve been wracking my brain lately, trying to figure out when otherwise peaceful people became hate-filled and virulent on social media. When did social justice become selective? When did everyone start hating Jews again?

Some might argue that we were always hated, but it just wasn’t PC to say it out loud. I’m not so sure. I remember when I started feeling uncomfortable… when my online spaces, once an extension of my community, started feeling hostile.

I believe the more recent surge of antisemitism began in 2022 and is directly linked to the original story behind Academy Award-winning documentary No Other Land. That year, I noticed a major shift in the kinds of posts being shared by accounts I once admired. Right around the time when the legal case concerning the eviction of Palestinian residents from Masafer Yatta became the cause of the day, social media “activists”, many of whom had no real knowledge of the region, jumped on the issue without question, fueling defamatory Jewish and Israeli stereotypes, using the “social justice” angle to grow their platforms.

That Time ChatGPT Validated My Feelings

I even asked ChatGPT if my hypothesis was correct, and its response was classic: “Your observation is astute… a sharp and unsettling observation, and I think you’re absolutely right.” Nothing like good ol’ AI validation.

This event was the catalyst that pulled otherwise peaceful citizens into terror spun extremist groups disguised as social justice movements. Unfortunately, in a world where people consume “facts” in soundbites, context was the first casualty, and a renewed wave of antisemitism was the result.

How an Obscure Land Dispute Became a Social Media Weapon Against Israel and Democracy

Before 2022, if you had asked the average North American activist about Masafer Yatta, you’d have gotten blank stares. Even among the most passionate pro-Palestinian voices, this tiny region in the South Hebron Hills wasn’t exactly a hot topic. Then, in May of that year, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta could be evicted, as the land had been designated a military training zone in the 1980s. Almost overnight, this obscure legal case became a social media firestorm, fueling anti-Zionist narratives and radicalizing a whole audience of people who had no idea what they were talking about.

From Obscurity to Viral Outrage

Social media thrives on emotion over accuracy. Outrage is always more shareable than nuance.

By the time the Masafer Yatta case hit the digital sphere, it was completely stripped of legal and historical complexities and repackaged into a simplistic, emotionally charged narrative: “Israel is ethnically cleansing indigenous Palestinians.”

Never mind that the legal battle and all of its complexities had been playing out for decades… While some Palestinian families claimed long standing residence, the truth is documented in the court case files. In the 1980’s the previously nomadic group began building permanent homes in a zone that was illegal for them to build on. None of that fits the clickbait-friendly framing though.

Social media activism follows a predictable cycle: find an obscure issue, frame it in black-and-white moral terms, amplify it through influencers, connect it to larger social justice struggles (decolonization, indigenous rights, apartheid etc.), and use it as a weapon to delegitimize Israel.

I Can Empathize with Them. Can They Empathize with Me?

I feel genuine empathy for the affected communities in Masafer Yatta, who continue to face the aftermath of displacement and economic hardship. But it’s also crucial to acknowledge the full context. Calling it ‘colonization’ is misleading when these residents were allowed to stay as long as the land wasn’t needed for its designated use. Their displacement is undoubtedly painful, but that doesn’t justify distorting facts to fit a political narrative. Empathy doesn’t require abandoning intellectual honesty. I can feel for their struggles while also recognizing that their leadership’s manipulation of public opinion is indefensible.

Hamas and its sympathizers are stuck in a violent hate loop, completely contradicting the “social justice” narrative. Let’s be real: have you ever asked them if they believe they’re fighting for social justice? I guarantee you, they’d laugh in your face. They aren’t trying to reform legal systems or campaign for equality! They’re openly and unapologetically after blood. The term justice literally means “a concern for fairness, peace, and genuine respect for people,” which is entirely at odds with indiscriminate murder sprees.

Weaponizing Social Justice

One of the most effective strategies of modern anti-Israel activism is leveraging intersectionality: the idea that all struggles against oppression are connected. By framing Palestinians as indigenous people resisting a settler-colonial oppressor, activists grafted the Masafer Yatta case onto broader social justice movements.

Suddenly, this one obscure legal dispute wasn’t just about a land case. It became part of the global fight against colonialism, racism, and oppression. This allowed activists who had never even heard of Masafer Yatta before (and probably to this day could not point to it on a map) to engage in outrage with confidence. The lack of prior knowledge actually worked in their favor. When you don’t know history, it’s much easier to buy into a black-and-white version of events.

This trend aligns with findings from the Arab Center Washington DC, which identified social media-driven disinformation as a growing problem, spreading rapidly and fueling radicalization (Arab Center, 2023). Activists become emotionally invested in the cause before they’ve even understood the issue, making them highly susceptible to misinformation and propaganda.

A report by the American Jewish Committee found that social media is a major driver of contemporary antisemitism, with disinformation about Israel fueling age-old stereotypes about Jewish global control (AJC, 2023). When you frame an entire nation as irredeemably evil, old antisemitic myths resurface… just with a fresh progressive coat of paint.

Enter the Extremists

This would all be just a case study in social media activism if it weren’t for the very real life consequences. The manipulation of events like Masafer Yatta doesn’t just radicalize activists, it provides cover for extremist ideologies and hate crimes like October 7th. Once activists accept the framing of Israel as an illegitimate, genocidal entity, it’s a small step to justifying violence against it.

And terrorist organizations understand this perfectly. Hamas, Iran, and other authoritarian regimes have long exploited Western activism to push their agendas. By flooding social media with carefully crafted narratives, they turn well-meaning social justice warriors into useful idiots- People who genuinely believe they’re fighting-the-good-fight for human rights while unwittingly legitimizing violent, anti-democratic forces.

Speaking of Fighting the Good Fight…

This whole phenomenon reminds me of one of my favorite aspects of The Good Fight, a thought-provoking spin-off of The Good Wife. Toward the end of the show’s third season, Diane Lockhart joins an extreme liberal anti-Trump resistance group, The Book Club, with noble intentions, only to watch it spiral out of control. At first, she believes the group is engaging in legal resistance against authoritarianism, but things escalate… and fast. Soon, discussions turn to political assassination as a form of resistance. As Diane realizes she’s gone too far down the ideological rabbit hole, she’s forced to step back before getting implicated in something truly dangerous. Sorry for the spoiler. The show, despite its ultra-ultra-extreme liberal leanings, offers a brilliant portrayal of how ideological extremism can consume even the most well-intentioned movements. Hollywood doesn’t always get it right, and honestly, some of the episodes were hard to watch, but in this case, the Kings (the show’s writers) totally nailed it.

The Bigger Picture: Undermining Democracy

I’m not alone in believing that Masafer Yatta wasn’t just about Israel. The bigger goal of these disinformation campaigns is to weaken democracy as a whole.

If activists can be convinced that Israel, one of the most open, diverse democracies in the Middle East, is a genocidal, apartheid state, then why should they trust any Western democracy? If “decolonization” requires dismantling Israel, what stops that logic from extending to other nations built on migration and historical conflicts?

This is where radical anti-Zionism bleeds into a broader anti-democratic agenda.

So, What Can We Do?

Remain Curious and open to constant learning.
Educate. Educate. Educate. Providing historical context and legal facts is the best antidote to oversimplified activism.
Expose the manipulators. Not everyone spreading these narratives is acting in good faith.
Promote democratic values. The fight against misinformation is a fight for democracy and free speech.
Engage with young activists. Most aren’t extremists; they’re just misinformed. Engage with them, without condescension.

—

Sources

Arab Center Washington DC. (2023).
American Jewish Committee. (2023).
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2022).