We all know that social media can be tricky and nerve-wracking to navigate at the best of times, and it gets even harder amidst highly difficult and polarising political situations. The current war in the Middle East is sadly no different. With networks like Instagram giving platform to so much dangerous misinformation, triggering content and extreme opinions on both ends of the spectrum, it can be hard to know where to turn for good, honest and accurate social media reporting.
At Interhacktives we’ve come up with a list of five accounts we recommend following that take an all-round approach to informing you on the situation.
@allianceformiddleeastpeace
Alliance for middle east peace is “a network of over 160 NGOs promoting people-people peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians, Arabs and Jews. What we particularly like about ALLMEP is their posts about how to have conversations about difficult things at the moment. We specifically recommend their post on identifying different types of biases.
@iramim_english
Ir Amim is run by both Israelis and Palestinians and aims towards “an equitable and shared Jerusalem … and future capitals of two peoples”. Having started an English Instagram page last summer, they are continuing to update on the current situation in Jerusalem and advocate for peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike.
@yachad_uk
Yachad is run by British Jews advocating for “peace, equality and justice”. Due to the lens of Britishness, they are a good page to follow for information regarding antisemitism in the diaspora and often are nuanced in their content. Before war broke out one of their primary aims was advocating for saving Israeli democracy, and they will often speak frankly about injustices against the Palestinian community.
@everydaymiddleeast
Everyday Middle East is a photography account aiming to platform middle-eastern photographers, with a specific focus on Palestinian photographers at the moment. They post a mixture of photographs, some of beautiful scenery, some of day-to-day life, and some of scenes of tragedy. Considering the war is happening so far away, this up close and personal approach really brings the violence home and makes it resonate more.
@jameelajamil
Whilst we’re not normally people to recommend a celebrity for your journalistic intake, Jameela Jamil has long earned her spot on the activism scene. Having gone on her own journey to activism making mistakes and learning from them, she now not only speaks on important world affairs, but also talks about how we should speak about them. Her content remains nuanced and well thought out, and is perhaps more palatable for those that are just starting their journey into the world of Instagram activism.
Whilst there’s loads of truly amazing accounts out there to keep you informed in a healthy, interesting and inspiring way, this non-exhaustive list is a good place to start. And remember to take a break from the internet every now and then- it’s not a particularly kind place right now!