#WestBankLive i need more people like this in my life; ones who aren't afraid to go into dabke mode in a sec
Just two days prior, a Live Feature covering Tel Aviv met with considerable backlash on Twitter, with critics claiming that Snapchat’s timing was in poor taste — last July 7, an Israeli attack on Gaza left 1,462 Palestinian civilians dead and 1,500 children orphaned. Following outraged comments across various social media channels, it seems as though Snapchat attempted appeasement by telling a story from the Palestinian side of things on the West Bank. Regardless of their motivation for the subsequent feature, both Snapchat and Twitter users seemed pleased by Snapchat’s Thursday decision.
I love the fact that there's an actual Krusty Krab in Ramallah ☺️ #WestBankLive
— نورا (@alzabba) July 9, 2015
The platform was flooded by rarely seen, organic content, created by Snapchat users both in the West Bank and around the world, who celebrated the spotlight. Everything, from geopolitical commentary, to scenes of high security, to soccer matches, to day-to-day life that is so infrequently captured by mainstream media, was sourced and shared by Snapchat users. Live Story features, which are already very popular on Twitter, drawing some 20 million viewers every 24 hours, now seem to have found a higher calling in their latest functionality in the Middle Eastern conflict.
"This is the separation wall" "This is our view from work every day" this is #WestBankLive pic.twitter.com/nflHezBOwB
— Ayesha (@AyeshaTape) July 9, 2015
Children playing soccer in a refugee camp #WestBankLive pic.twitter.com/Fy5N98hP1p
— Jenna (@Chezmoihoney) July 9, 2015
Thank you Snapchat for letting the world see what Palestinians go through daily with being walled in. #WestBankLive pic.twitter.com/46Rv4vOxif
— lebanese problems (@LebaneseProblem) July 9, 2015
While the feed, like all Snapchat content, will disappear at the end of the day, this 24-hour period has been pivotal in offering West Bank insiders the opportunity to share their lives, and outsiders the chance to experience a reality that too often seems like a distant alternate reality.
