“Israeli conspiracy” is a very common catchphrase in the Palestinian Authority and Gaza Strip. As a journalist, I've seen it hundreds of times over the years in the stories that spread among the Palestinian population, accusing Israel of all sorts of evil plots to harm them. All too often, Palestinians think of Israel as controlling the world, especially the United States. The purpose, they claim, is to harm the Palestinians. Plots and conspiracies are routine in the territories as a result of the occupation and constant friction between soldiers, settlers and the Palestinian population. They reflect the deep distrust between the opposing sides.

In the age of social networks, conspiracy theories spread like wildfire. But when the Palestinian prime minister himself spreads them, it is no longer a matter of anonymous rumors. These tales and accusations have diplomatic consequences.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh didn’t blink when he told a press conference in Ramallah March 29, “We have heard testimony that some soldiers are trying to spread the virus through the door handles of cars. It is a case of racism and hatred by people who hope for the death of the other. We will add this to the list of crimes they’ve committed.”

Shtayyeh didn’t end there, also boosting a conspiracy popular among Palestinians that the reason Israel allowed 30,000 Palestinian laborers to work in its territory was not concern for the Palestinian Authority’s economy or to help these workers earn a living. Rather, it was part of a dark plot to infect these workers with the coronavirus, so that they would infect the population of the West Bank when they returned home. Shtayyeh lended this conspiracy theory the weight of his office when he said that a Palestinian working in Israel was infected with the disease and went on to infect another 20 people in his village.