YouTube collaborates with U.S. and Israel to erase evidence of Palestinian war crimes

According to The Intercept, YouTube permanently removed the official channels of three major Palestinian human rights organizations — Al-Haq, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) — along with hundreds of videos documenting Israeli war crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The deletions, which took place in early October, wiped out years of investigative reports covering the killings of Palestinian civilians, demolition of homes by Israeli forces, and the murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

YouTube confirmed that the decision was made after reviewing the U.S. State Department sanctions against the three groups.

Bo Bullwinkel, a YouTube spokesperson, claimed that the platform “applies restrictions against any entity sanctioned under U.S. law,” adding:

“Google remains committed to complying with applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws.”

The U.S. government imposed these sanctions in September, targeting the organizations for cooperating with the ICC in its investigations into Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former War Minister Yoav Gallant, who have been accused of war crimes in Gaza.

Human rights advocates condemned YouTube’s action as politically motivated censorship.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of a human rights organization, said: “I am completely shocked that YouTube would do this. It’s very hard to imagine any serious argument that sharing information from these Palestinian human rights organizations could somehow violate sanctions. Capitulating to the arbitrary designation of these Palestinian organizations and censoring them is both disappointing and deeply alarming.”

Katherine Gallagher, a senior attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, accused YouTube of advancing Washington’s efforts to suppress information:

“It is outrageous that YouTube is furthering the Trump administration’s agenda to erase evidence of human rights violations and war crimes from public view. Congress never intended to give the U.S. president the authority to cut off the flow of information to the American people and the world. In fact, information — including documents and videos — is explicitly exempt under the very law the president cited as the basis for sanctions on the ICC.”

YouTube ignores Palestinian rights

The affected groups condemned the decision as a violation of free expression and an attempt to obstruct justice.

Al Mezan announced that its channel was suspended on October 7, without prior warning. A spokesperson for the organization said: “This action restricts our ability to communicate with global audiences. Losing access to our channel deprives us of the opportunity to reach those we aim to inform and prevents us from fulfilling our mission.”

Al-Haq’s channel was deleted a few days earlier, on October 3, with YouTube claiming that its content had violated the platform’s community guidelines.

In response, Al-Haq stated: “The deletion of a human rights organization’s channel by YouTube, without prior notice, represents a serious failure of principles and a deeply troubling setback for human rights and freedom of expression.”

The organization warned that U.S. sanctions are being used to cripple accountability efforts regarding Palestine and to silence Palestinian voices and victims.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), described by the United Nations as Gaza’s oldest human rights organization, said that the removals protect perpetrators from accountability.

A representative of PCHR emphasized: “YouTube claimed that our center failed to comply with its community guidelines, while our entire work is based on factual, evidence-based reporting of crimes committed against the Palestinian people — particularly since the ongoing genocide began on October 7, 2023.”

He added: “By doing this, YouTube is complicit in silencing the voices of Palestinian victims.”

Digital censorship on YouTube

The Intercept estimated that the deletions erased more than 700 videos, ranging from field investigations to personal testimonies and short documentaries.

While some of this material remains available on other platforms or through archived versions, much of it has been permanently lost. The organizations stated that they are now seeking alternative platforms outside the United States to ensure public access to their documentation work.

These deletions come amid broader efforts by the U.S. and Israel to undermine the ICC and limit exposure of Israeli actions in Gaza.

Sarah Leah Whitson warned: “They are essentially allowing the Trump administration to dictate what information can be shared with global audiences. This will not stop with Palestine.”