Twitch.tv's Pausing of Account Creations in Israel
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On October 19, 2024 an r/destiny subreddit user submitted a thread claiming that account creations on Twitch.tv 
were disabled in the region of Israel. [1] It was later discovered and confirmed by leaked code that Palestinian users were additionally prohibited from creating new accounts, although to a lesser degree. [2][3]
 |
Force @Forceultraomega |
| Hey, I’ve been streaming for the past 3 years and have transferred my viewers from YouTube to Twitch 2 years ago. I’ve discovered around a month ago that A LOT of my longtime viewers have not been able to sign up to Twitch because they’re located in Israel, which is insane | |
| SOURCE · 3:26 PM CT · May 27, 2024 | |
One of the earliest (then relatively unknown) reports of this was from Israeli streamer Force, alleging on May 27 that "a lot of [his] long time viewers have not been able to sign up to Twitch because they’re located in Israel, which is insane," and posted an image alongside his tweet showing an error message stating that the user had a "blocked country IP."[4]
At the time of posting, the report received relatively little traction and no response from any official Twitch support.
The claim was independently verified by the Israeli News site Ynet's editorial staff and other users who were unable to create an account.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
An email from Twitch support briefly stated that the Israeli user was "ineligible" to create an account, and the support ticket was closed.[12] Intense amounts of public scrutiny (primarily on Twitter) led to Twitch releasing a public statement about the ban.
Twitch's Response
 |
Twitch Support @TwitchSupport |
| We wanted to address concerns we’ve seen about whether we’re preventing Twitch account sign ups in some regions.
When signing up for a Twitch account, you can select an account verification method – email or phone – for added protection. Following the October 7, 2023 attacks, we temporarily disabled sign ups with email verification in Israel and Palestine. We did this to prevent uploads of graphic material related to the attack and to protect the safety of users. Signups were not disabled, and we continued to see sign ups from both regions. Users could choose to sign up with phone verification. We’ve learned that, inadvertently, we did not re-enable email verification sign ups for either region. We deeply regret this unacceptable miss, and the confusion it has caused. We’ve fixed the issue, meaning all affected users can sign up with email verification. We’ve also heard concerns about whether our Community Guidelines apply to all content on our service. We continue to enforce our rules as consistently as possible, and are actively reviewing content and taking enforcement action where needed.  Readers added contextThis whole statement is a lie. Both email AND phone number sign ups were disabled. While this was happening, the most popular political streamer on their platform was cheering on, spreading terrorist propaganda and rape apologetics on stream
streamable.com/s333zk |
|
| SOURCE · 10:35 PM CT · Oct 20, 2024 | |
On October 20, 2024 Twitch issued an apology through a thread on X.com.[2] In the thread, Twitch claims that the region's ban was instituted following the 2023 Hamas led attack on Israel , with the goal of preventing uploads of graphic material related to the attack and to protect the safety of users. While the platform claims users were able to sign up with phone verification, email verification was disabled on the platform for nearly a year. Twitch claims to have done this in error.
Violation of Anti-BDS laws
Anti-BDS Laws, are laws which seek to effectively retaliate against people and organizations engaged in boycotts of Israel-affiliated entities. It has been speculated that Twitch may have been in violation of these laws when instituting the ban for such a prolonged duration.
Response from Twitch CEO
Oct 20, 2024 10:38 PM
On October 20, 2024 at 10:38 PM Daniel Clancy, the CEO of Twitch, replied to Twitch's apology thread expressing his sorrow for the error and claiming to have only discovered the problem that day.[13]
Oct 20, 2024 10:40 PM
On October 20, 2024 at 10:40 PM Clancy reiterates that the region ban only came to the platform's attention today, and that the ban did not affect people using mobile phone authentication.[14]
Response, Criticism, and Evidence
Much evidence has arisen contrary to Twitch's public statement on the region ban being unintentional.[15] This evidence includes support emails, Hashtags attempting to draw Twitch's attention to the issue, and the removal of all mention of Israel from Twitch’s subreddit. Furthermore, mobile phone verification was never re-enabled on the platform(contrary to the platform's initial thread), meaning account creation was never possible for users in the region. Lastly, the ban was implemented silently, meaning no Israeli content creators nor users were given forewarning about the region ban.
These issues, coupled with an overt acceptance of individuals (both as content creators and employees) known for otherwise deriding the region, has led some to believe the ban may have been deliberate.
Evidence pointing to a deliberate ban
The following tables are a compilation of evidence pointing to a deliberate effort on behalf of Twitch to silence Israeli voices, ignore inquiries about the region ban, and amplify the voices of pro-terrorist/anti-zionist content creators.
Suppression of Israeli voices by Twitch
| Evidence | Summary | Link | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Users unable to register | When attempting to register an account from an Israeli IP Address , users would be met with an innocuous error message.[16][17][18] Upon inspecting the error message, users would discover an error description reading "blocked country ip".[19] |
|||||||||||||||||
| Phone signups were never enabled | According to several sources within Israel, including Israeli newspaper Ynetnews (an online subsidiary of the largest newspaper in Israel, Yedioth Ahronoth ), the authentication mobile code from Twitch would never arrive if you were on an Israeli IP address. [20][21][22][23] Meaning phone authentication was never truly enabled in the region, contrary to Twitch's claim in their apology. |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Twitch's Trust and Safety Senior Manager | Fadzai Madzingira, a current Senior Manager at Twitch's Trust and Safety department, was suspended from another company for Anti-Israeli posts following the 2023 Hamas led attack on Israel .[25][26][27] These posts were so severe, Mazdingra's then place of work was called out in front of British Parliament and requested to be investigated.[28] |
|||||||||||||||||
| Code screenshot | Code proving Twitch had been blocking users from Israel from accessing their platform since 10/13/2023.[29] Of note, this same day is considered to be the Global Day of Jihad. | Screenshot of code | ||||||||||||||||
| Twitch's trust and safety vendor is located in Egypt | An internal Twitch chat log shows that the platform trust and safety moderators are located in Egypt .[30] Of note, 95% of individuals surveyed in the region have a negative opinion of Jews |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Internal Slack logs from Ex-Twitch employees regarding the ban | Several internal chat logs from an both current and former Twitch employees Slack showing either a lack of care regarding the ban or a disdain towards the Israeli government. |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Lack of bans in other regions experiencing conflict | Twitch claims to have instituted the ban with the goal of preventing uploads of graphic material related to the October 7 attack and to protect the safety of users. Despite this, regions of the world experiencing similar conflict such as Russia ,Ukraine , Yemen , Syria , Lebanon , Myanmar have not seen similar region bans. |
A leaked Twitch employee internal message explaining that the region ban on Israel was the first time Twitch had ever blocked a country. |
Complaints and inquiries to Twitch regarding the region ban
Amplification of pro-antizionist and pro-terrorist organizations by Twitch
| Evidence | Summary | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Hasan Piker's twitch chat | Hasan Piker, Twitch's largest political content creator, has fostered a community which exhibits anti-zionist behavior upon the mention of israel. | |
| Engagement with Antisemitic creators | On the same week the region ban was brought to the attention of Twitch, the platform had unbanned two notoriously anti-semitic content creators: Sneako, and Fresh&Fit. These creators have been banned from most other websites for their behavior, yet Twitch has specifically allowed them to stream on their site. Furthermore, Twitch allowed their top political content creator, Hasan Piker, to perform a puff piece interview with a known Houthi collaborator.[36] |
|
| Allowing a known terrorist collaborator to stream on Twitch | The same Houthi collaborator interviewed by Twitch's top political streamer Hasan Piker, streamed on the platform for some time. | |
| A Houthi collaborator and Twitch streamer who Hasan interviewed, refers to a jewish content creator as a "child born from the stone age" | The same Houthi collaborator interviewed by Twitch's top political streamer Hasan Piker, referred to prominent Jewish content creator Ethan Klein, as a "child born from the Stone Age".[37] This phrase evokes a part of the Quran about making Israelis into Apes with a "city by the sea".[38] |
|
| A Houthi collaborator and Twitch streamer who Hasan interviewed, displaying a depiction of a Zionist being impaled by a Pike. Hasan would go on to defend the tweet | The same Houthi collaborator interviewed by Twitch's top political streamer Hasan Piker, would go on to send a thread through X.com depicting a man being impaled by a Pike from the rear end and through the mouth.[39] The post was captioned "The execution that we will carry out on all Zionists". Upon this post being brought to Hasan's attention, Hasan defended it. |
|
| Racial tier list at an official Twitch Event | On October 19, 2024 Twitch held an official event at their "twitchcon" where they endorsed a "racial tier list" with Jews at the bottom and Arabs at the top. Hasan Piker, would go on to deny the panel was antisemitic.[40][41] The individuals who participated in the tier list were not banned until Twitch was contacted by the ADL .[42] |
|
| Hasan Piker,Twitch's top political streamer, playing Terrorist Propaganda | Hasan Piker plays a Houthi music video on his Twitch channel[43] More instances of Piker playing such propaganda can be found here. | |
| Hasan Piker mocks a US veteran and sitting Congressman's injury, praises the Taliban soldier who gave him the injury | Hasan Piker mocks the missing eye of Dan Crenshaw , a US Congressman and Iraq war veteran who lost an eye to an IED explosion. Piker described the injury in cruel and explicit terms, and referred to the individual who gave Crenshaw the injury as a "brave mujahideen soldier".[44] |
|
| Hasan Piker justifies October 7, uses an anti-semitic slur | Hasan Piker justifies the 2023 Hamas led attack on Israel on October 7th , and refers to a chatter a a "pig dog"(an anti-semitic slur).[45] |
|
| Hasan Piker justifies the military actions of the Houthis towards merchant and naval vessels in the Red Sea. | Hasan Piker plays footage of Houthis hijacking a ship for his Twitch channel, while justifying the military actions of the Houthis towards merchant and naval vessels in the Red Sea(aka the Red Sea Crisis ) to a fellow Twitch streamer.[46] |
|
| Fr0gan hopes ever US soldier receives PTSD | Fr0gan, a prominent Twitch political streamer and friend of Hasan Piker, stating she hopes every US soldier receives PTSD . She would go on to double down on this point. |
|
| Hasan Piker scoffs at the mention of rapes occuring on October 7 | Hasan Piker scoffs at the mention of rapes occuring during the 2023 Hamas led attack on Israel on October 7th .[47] |
|
| Hasan Piker denying the occurrence of rapes on October 7 | Hasan Piker denies that rapes occurred during the 2023 Hamas led attack on Israel on October 7th. "What rapes did Hamas do?"[48] | |
| Hasan Piker laughs at the mention of October 7 Hostages | In a CNN Town Hall with Kamala Harris , a women is given the opportunity to speak with Harris. The women is introduced as being undecided, and having concerns about anti-semitism. Upon the woman's mention of wishing to bring the "hostages home"(in reference to individuals captured during the 2023 Hamas led attack on Israel on October 7th ), Hasan and his guest can be seen laughing. |
|
| Compilation video of Hasan Piker's defense of terrorist organizations | A compilation of several instances of Hasan displaying terrorist propaganda pieces, defending the actions of terrorist organizations abroad, and interviewing known terrorist members or collaborators. | |
| Hasan Piker claims America Deserves 9/11 | Hasan Piker claiming America deserved 9/11 . |
|
| Fr0gan mocks 9/11 | Fr0gan and her friends wanted to do a "9/11 baking stream" if a donation goal was met. Upon meeting the goal, Fr0gan claimed that her and her friends would create a tower made of cake, and "recreate 9/11 ". |
|
| Hasan Piker laughs at Jewish woman regarding October 7 hostages | Hasan Piker laughing at a Jewish woman who thanked Kamala Harris for advocating for the hostages and who conveyed concern about antisemitism. [49] | |
| Hasan Piker routinely referring to Jews as inbred | Throughout the duration of Hasan Piker's streaming career on Twitch, he took it upon himself to refer to Jews, orthodox or otherwise, as inbred at several opportunities. A compilation of such instances can be found at the wiki page Hasan Piker's Use of 'Inbred' in Reference to Jews. | |
| Hasan Piker claims Baby west bank settlers are justifiable targets for Hamas | Hasan claims Palestinians "have the legal ground to violently seize back their own homes" and that "there are baby settlers too", implying they would be justifiable targets. |
Mainstream Media Coverage
News of the ban garnered much traction, as several major news outlets covered the story:
| Outlet | Article |
|---|---|
| 404 Media
|
Twitch Quietly Blocked New Users From Israel and Palestine Since October 7 |
| The Jerusalem Post
|
Following year-long ban, Twitch publicly enables sign-ups from Israeli IP addresses |
| Dot Esports
|
Twitch denies Israel account signup block, but admits to ‘unacceptable miss’ around verification process |
| PC Gamer
|
Twitch silently stopped sign ups from both Israel and Palestine for over a year, gets caught out, says it was all 'to prevent uploads of graphic material' |
| Haaretz
|
Accused of Antisemitism, Streaming Platform Twitch Apologizes After Blocking Israeli User Registration |
| Jewish News Syndicate
|
Twitch streaming service ‘regrets’ de-facto ban on Israelis |
| The Verge
|
Twitch disabled email signups from Israeli and Palestinian users for an entire year. |
| sportskeeda
|
"We deeply regret this unacceptable miss" - Twitch responds to allegations that they blocked Israelis from making accounts |
| Eurogamer
|
Twitch apologises for "issue" preventing account sign-ups in Israel and Palestine |
| Latin Times
|
Twitch 'Inadvertently' Forgot to Allow Sign-Ups from Israel After 'Temporarily' Banning Them Last Year: 'Unacceptable Miss' |
| Dexerto
|
Twitch “deeply regrets” blocking account sign-ups in multiple regions for over a year |
| Kotaku
|
Twitch Bans Several Arab Streamers Following 'Habibi' Ratings Panel At TwitchCon |
| Washington Post
|
Twitch apologizes after some users in Israel, Gaza barred from making accounts |
| The Times of Israel
|
Streaming site Twitch accused of unchecked antisemitism, anti-Israel bias |
| The Express Tribune
|
Twitch is allegedly banning new users from Israel and Palestine as people report error messages |
| Kan 11
|
Story discussed on israeli television |
| TheMarker
|
Israelis discovered that they are unable to register for the Twitch gaming platform - it apologizes |
| Keshet Media Group
|
Amazon against Israel? Users identified as Israeli were blocked from its streaming platform - and the excuse is embarrassing |
| Ynet
|
From Silicon Valley to the Sea: Is Amazon having trouble proving that it is not anti-Israel? |
| Ynet
|
Israelis banned, anti-Semites return? The streaming platform is controversial |
| jewishinsider.com | Popular leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker steps up antisemitic, anti-Israel rhetoric |
| nypost
|
Rep. Ritchie Torres warns of ‘amplification of antisemitism’ by Twitch streamer Hasan Piker |
| Mediaite
|
Left Wing Pundit Hasan Piker Says ‘I Don’t Have An Issue’ With Hezbollah, Praises Yemen’s Houthis For Seizing Ships |
| Mediaite
|
NY Democrat Writes Scathing Letter to Amazon CEO Accusing Popular Streamer of Anti-Semitism |
Action Network Petition
A petition was made on actionnetwork.org with the goal of holding Twitch accountable and demanding Dan Clancy's resignation.[50]
Response from Congressman Ritchie Torres
Congressman Ritche Torres , an American politician from New York and member of The Democratic Party , has taken great umbrage with remarks from Twitch and the continued platforming of individuals such as Hasan Piker. Representative Torres's gripes with the platform were initially contained to X.com, but has since expanded into greater efforts including Congressional letters and calls to action.
| Date | Link | Text | Media in link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/24/2024 | X post | The leading streamer on Twitch, Hasan Piker, is an apologist for the sexual violence of October 7th. “It doesn’t matter if rape happened on October 7th. It doesn’t change the dynamic for me,” Hasan declares before finally admitting that “Palestinian resistance is not perfect.”
A social media influencer who openly defends the rape and mass murder of Jews is not only accepted but celebrated in our society. What does that reveal about the depth of antisemitism in the American soul? If America believes Jewish lives matter, then Americans should stop popularizing influencers who popularize antisemitism. |
|
| 10/25/2024 | X post | The pro-Hamas social media mob that blindly worships Hasan Piker insists I have taken poor Piker out of context. If by “taking out of context,” you mean quoting Hasan verbatim and then posting a video of Hasan speaking in his own words, then yes: I plead guilty.
Hasan Piker’s persona as an apologist for the barbaric rapes of 10/7 is undeniable, no matter how ferociously his most fanatical followers wish to deny the antisemitism of their false idol on Twitch. |
|
| 10/25/2024 | X post | Hasan Piker calls me an “insane” and “vicious” “monster” and “psychopath” because I exposed him for justifying the insane and vicious monsters and psychopaths who barbarically raped Israeli women on October 7th.
Hasan should take a long hard look in the mirror. The rape apologia of Hasan—his insistence “that it doesn’t matter if rape happened on October 7th”—is insane, vicious, monstrous, and psychopathic. |
|
| 10/27/2024 | X post | Hasan Piker, known for amplifying Antisemitism and AntiAmericanism, is an apologist not only for 10/7 but also for 9/11. Piker in his own words: “America deserved 9/11.” The 3,000 Americans incinerated or otherwise murdered in the Twin Towers; the falling men and women plummeting to their deaths from 110-story skyscrapers; according to Piker, all of them had it coming. All deserved it.
One wonders if Hasan has ever seen an Anti-American or antisemitic terrorist attack he didn’t like? He lives in a morally inverted universe where the true terrorists on 9/11 and 10/7 were not the perpetrators but the victims. |
|
| 10/28/2024 | X post | Hasan Piker is seen laughing at a Jewish woman who thanked VP Harris for advocating for the hostages and who conveyed concern about antisemitism.
A simple question for Hasan Piker. What exactly do you find amusing? Are you amused by antisemitism? Amused by the kidnapping of 30 children, among them infants and toddlers? Amused by the abduction of aging Holocaust and Farhud survivors? The useful idiocy of Hasan Piker would be comical were his amplification of antisemitism not so dangerous. |
|
| 10/29/2024 | X post | Is this the same Myron Gaines who said “we must figure out a way to take our country back from these Jewish supremacists?” You and Hasan Piker are two symptoms of the same disease: antisemitism at Twitch under CEO an Clancy.
You do indeed have a First Amendment right to speak. But so do I. And speak I will to the chagrin of every rotten antisemite on Twitch. |
|
| 10/30/2024 | X post | A Congressional letter has been sent to the leadership of both Amazon and Twitch to sound the alarm about the amplification of antisemitism on Twitch. Hasan Piker, who has described Orthodox Jews as “inbred” and a Jewish man as a “bloodthirsty pig,” is the antisemitic voice of a systemically antisemitic platform led by Dan Clancy. The time has come to hold Hasan Piker and Dan Clancy accountable. |
|
References
- ↑ reddit.com r/destiny. "Twitch blocking new users from Israel confirmed." Retrieved Oct 21, 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Twitch code revealing Palestine and Israel are geo-blocked from account creation with e-mails. (2024). X.com.
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/dancantstream/status/1848852519784530373
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/Forceultraomega/status/1795189735297605635
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/dancantstream/status/1847991191221989620
- ↑ reddit.com Twitch has blocked new users from Israel. (2024) Reddit.
- ↑ רפאל קאהאן. (2024, October 20). ישראלים מוחרמים, אנטישמים חוזרים? פלטפורמת הסטרימינג מעוררת מחלוקת. Ynet. https://www.ynet.co.il/digital/technews/article/bklvdkgxje
- ↑ Israeli login attempt 4
- ↑ Israeli login attempt 3
- ↑ Israeli login attempt 2
- ↑ Israeli login attempt 1
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (formerly Twitter). https://x.com/TheOmniLiberal/status/1848075924207501666
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/djclancy999/status/1848192213119062084
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/djclancy999/status/1848192675654328401
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/dancantstream/status/1848415387337069018
- ↑ Media:Twitchbdsban2.jpg
- ↑ Media:Twitchbdsban3.jpg
- ↑ Media:Twitchbdsban4.jpg
- ↑ Media:Twitchbdsban1.jpg
- ↑ רפאל קאהאן. (2024, October 20). ישראלים מוחרמים, אנטישמים חוזרים? פלטפורמת הסטרימינג מעוררת מחלוקת. Ynet.https://www-ynet-co-il.translate.goog/digital/technews/article/bklvdkgxje?_x_tr_sl=iw&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hist=true
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/dancantstream/status/1848422423512641848
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Destiny/comments/1g8mhvb/twitch_ban_in_israel_we_gathered_some_data/
- ↑ Media:TwitchbdsTweet2PhoneVerif.jpg
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Destiny/comments/1g8mhvb/comment/lszodqe/
- ↑ Young, M. (2023, October 16). Ofcom Online Safety Director is Vociferously Anti-Israel. Guido Fawkes. https://order-order.com/2023/10/16/ofcom-online-safety-director-is-vociferously-anti-israel/
- ↑ Young, M. (2023, October 16). Ofcom Suspends Director of Online Safety Over Anti-Israel Posts on Social Media. Guido Fawkes. https://order-order.com/2023/10/16/exclusive-ofcom-suspends-director-of-online-safety-over-anti-israel-views/
- ↑ Ofcom online safety director suspended over anti-Israel posts. (2023, October 16). https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-67126236
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/GuidoFawkes/status/1713951787718176902
- ↑ https://x.com/StopAntisemites/status/1848445010708205758
- ↑ Media: TwitchbdsTweet6EgyptSupport.jpg
- ↑ https://x.com/hashtag/BatluathTwitch?src=hashtag_click
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/Yairr68039374/status/179516383272732704
- ↑ Media:Twitchbdsuservoice.jpg
- ↑ https://imgur.com/a/twitch-uservoice-page-5-28-2024-ignored-by-twitch-OfF85XH
- ↑ Israelis Banned from Creating Twitch Accounts. (2024, October 20). Reddit. https://old.reddit.com/r/Twitch/comments/1g83bwu/israelis_banned_from_creating_twitch_accounts/
- ↑ HasanAbi. (2024, January 17). INTERVIEWING YEMENI TIMOTHEE CHALAMET. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufvr1lpNy_k
- ↑ Media:HasanHouthiQuranVid.mp4
- ↑ Media:IsraelbanQuranQuote.jpg
- ↑ Media:HasanhouthiPikeTweet.jpeg
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Destiny/comments/1g93y7r/hasan_denies_the_twitch_con_panel_was_antisemitic/
- ↑ Ethan Klein. (2024, October 18). Twitch Has a Major Problem. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtFiJ8AVdW0
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/ADL/status/1848501823100932346
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/Aldanmarki/status/1745949173256519725?lang=en
- ↑ Politics Nowadays. (2019, August 23). The Young Turks’s Hasan Piker says a “brave fucking” terrorist “fucked the eye hole” of Dan Crenshaw. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWtXRygxBpQ
- ↑ Media:HasanIPSlur.mp4
- ↑ Reddit - Dive into anything. (2024). Reddit.com. https://www.reddit.com/r/Destiny/comments/1froda1/hasan_explains_operation_monkey_d_houthi_to_nick/
- ↑ https://x.com/TheOmniLiberal/status/1848501673662288357/video/2
- ↑ https://streamable.com/aspjbd
- ↑ x.com. (2024). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/RitchieTorres/status/1851065581371322459
- ↑ https://x.com/StopAntisemites/status/1851041711595696434
