Mohsen Mahdawi March 10 2017 FB post
The Nature of the Coming Intifada – By Mohsen Mahdawi
Phones and deadly technology. The answer is simple and easy to predict. Based on an assessment of the current situation, the coming Intifada or war will result in a devastating loss for the Palestinian people in the West Bank.
My assessment is not made on a whim or without reason. Rather, it is a prediction based on tangible evidence and proof from the global reality, and specifically the Palestinian reality. The deadly factor, and the one guaranteeing loss, is smartphones, laptops, cameras and internet networks. If you study modern technology and delve into its details, you will find that all information – photographs, videos, audio recordings and writings – is stored and preserved on enormous electronic devices containing vast quantities of information (exa- or zettabytes). All information entered into computers, phones or cameras that connect to a computer has copies on these servers. Whether it is uploaded, deleted or retained, all information can be copied, stored and preserved, regardless of its nature.
The Palestinian situation is compromised. The occupation knows the geography of the areas in detail, and this knowledge is completely different from what existed during the First Intifada and the Al-Aqsa Intifada. In the past, the greatest reliance was on spies and reconnaissance aircraft, and this was limited. Now the occupation possesses an enormous quantity of videos, photographs and information relating to Palestinian geography inside the cities, villages and camps, which is collected freely and at no cost. Worse still, the occupation knows the social networks, who each person’s friends are and their various relationships. The occupation even knows the nature of a person’s movements and travel over a long period, making it easier to predict and monitor future movements.
On the other hand, the Palestinian people remain deep in their slumber, following the latest technology – the iPhone 7, Galaxy, live video, Snapchat, Instagram and so on. The strange thing is that this engagement is mostly about appearances or entertainment rather than learning. We see much of this in comments that mostly contain expressions such as “looking good” and “big man.” This is a destructive factor in the investment of minds, money and time, and a loss for the cause. I do not deny the benefits of social and family communication and of conveying an image of the oppression suffered by the Palestinian people, but at the same time I know very well that these cases are few compared with what I have described above.
Another deadly factor is that the Palestinian Authority gathers information through interrogation, representatives and monitoring phones. All this information is entered into computers and stored on servers. The problem is that the Authority is incapable and ignorant when it comes to electronic information security. The websites and programs being used were designed by the European Union and are, in practice, not protected against high-level hacking. Another problem is that the Palestinian Authority possesses information limited only to the West Bank, while the Authority has zero information about Israel’s geography, its streets, its nature, its population and their characteristics, the nature of their work and its social structures, etc.
Last week, while reading the newspaper, there was a report saying that the intelligence services here are able to eavesdrop on phones and extract information, messages and calls simply by having a reconnaissance aircraft pass over a crowd of people. The report also said that the intelligence services can hack into any computer or television and listen through the microphone, allowing them to hear everything said in the surrounding area. The report mentioned many examples that are difficult to imagine, but from my studies there is no doubt that it is possible to do this.
Therefore, the current situation is dangerous. The occupation possesses all the information we have, while we possess nothing in comparison with them. “A weapon in the hands of the ignorant causes injury,” and indeed most of the Palestinian people are ignorant about technology and follow trends and the appearances of life instead of knowledge and learning.
Some will ask: Should we surrender and give in? The answer, of course, is no. But we must urgently recognise our mistakes and correct them. The question is: how? We need deep thought. I will conclude here with a few points:
The Palestinian Authority has a duty to establish a professional electronic-information team consisting of engineers, computer scientists, programmers and security personnel. This committee must educate society through television, radio and newspapers. They must also educate the younger generations through lectures for students in schools and universities.
Palestinian individuals and citizens must read more about this subject and must not document any important or sensitive information that could reach the occupation through technology. Instead, they should find safer traditional alternatives. During incursions, alternative means of communication must be found and mobile-phone batteries should be removed. I will have another article on this subject.
