Why Did YouTube Delete Over 700 Videos Of Alleged Israeli Human Rights Violations?

YouTube has come under fire for allegedly bowing to political pressure from US President Donald Trump, after it removed the accounts of three leading Palestinian rights groups. The channels, which featured more than 700 videos documenting alleged human rights violations committed by Israel, were removed without warning—prompting accusations of censorship and complicity in silencing evidence of war crimes.

According to a report by The Intercept, Google's video-hosting platform silently removed the YouTube channels of the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Al-Haq and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in early October.

Sanctioned for Seeking Justice

These same organisations had been sanctioned by the US State Department in September, after they helped present evidence before the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the previous Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.

The ICC would serve arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in 2024.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained the reason for the sanction through a press release, saying, 'These entities have directly engaged in efforts by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel's consent.'

YouTube's Compliance with the Law

Google allegedly confirmed that the account removals were 'a direct result of State Department sanctions'. 'Google is committed to compliance with applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws,' said YouTube spokesperson Boot Bullwinkle.

However, critics argue that YouTube's actions go far beyond legal compliance.

Speaking in the same interview, Center for Constitutional Rights senior staff lawyer Katherine Gallagher declared that it was 'outrageous that YouTube is furthering the Trump administration's agenda to remove evidence of human rights violations and war crimes from public view.'

She added that 'Congress did not intend to allow the president to cut off the flow of information to the American public and the world — instead, information, including documents and videos, are specifically exempted under the statute that the president cited as his authority for issuing the ICC sanctions.'

Censored Organisations Condemn the Takedown

Al Mezan's spokesperson said that removing their channel restricts them from 'reaching what we aspire to convey our message to, and fulfill our mission.' The channel also expressed its frustration about what happened to the group through a post on X (formerly Twitter).

According to the spokesperson, 'YouTube's removal of a human rights organisation's platform, carried out without prior warning, represents a serious failure of principle and an alarming setback for human rights and freedom of expression.'

The spokesperson added that they are being used as an instrument to weaken the accountability work of Palestine and stop the victims from speaking up. 'This has a ripple effect on such platforms also acting under such measures to further silence Palestinian voices,' they said.

Disappointment Over the Channel Deletion

Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of Democracy for the Arab World Now, expressed disappointment at YouTube's decision, saying she was 'a little surprised' by the platform's apparent vulnerability to political pressure.

She also cautioned that YouTube's decision to remove the accounts of the three organisations may set a dangerous precedent: 'The Trump administration can set the stage for any information that they want the public to know.'