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Will social media spark a third intifada?

Social media campaigns encourage and intensify the recent Palestinian outbreak that no party can control unless one "thinks differently," suggests media analyst Orit Perlov.

Farah Baker, 16, uses her phone to tweet in her family's home in Gaza City, August 10, 2014. As bombs explode in Gaza, Palestinian teenager Farah Baker grabs her smartphone or laptop before ducking for cover to tap out tweets that capture the drama of the tumult and fear around her. The 16-year-old's prolific posts on Twitter have made her a social media sensation through the month-old conflict. Once a little known high school athlete, Baker's following on the Web site has jumped from a mere 800 to a whoppi
A Palestinian teenager uses her phone to tweet in her family's home in Gaza City, Aug. 10, 2014. — REUTERS

“There is no leadership behind the current wave of terrorist stabbings,” says Orit Perlov, social media analyst on trends in the Arab world, at the Institute for National Security Studies. Perlov began to see indications of young Palestinians organizing online right after Operation Protective Edge (July-August 2014). She describes the current wave of terrorist stabbings as a case of radicalization, without any leadership, and without any clearly defined objectives. Hamas and the Islamic Movement are simply trying to seize control of it and manage it accordingly. In an interview with Al-Monitor, she points to the various milestones since last year that led up to the outbreak of terror over the past few weeks, and explains the roles and impact that the Internet has on this lost generation of Palestinians and on the Israeli public. And yet, despite all the discouraging news, she also has a message of hope.

The text of the interview follows:

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