The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Why Apple was wrong to pull iPhone app at Israel's behest

The US computer giant removed the "ThirdIntifada" app under Israeli pressure.

By Emanuelle Degli Esposti Published 24 June 2011 19:08

The Arabic word intifada -- literally meaning "to shake off" but usually translated as "uprising" or "resistance" -- has strong political and historical connotations in the Arab world. The First and Second Intifadas were two popular Palestinian uprisings over the past three decades against the Israeli occupation.

That Apple attempted to capitalise on the social turmoil of these events by launching an iPhone application under the name "ThirdIntifada" is thus not the smartest move the company has ever made. The Arabic-language app was released a few days ago, and provided consumers with news reports and editorials, as well as details of upcoming protests and nationalistic Palestinian material.

Unsurprisingly, the Israeli government has been quick to take the offensive, and Apple has since removed the app at the request of the Iraeli state.

But this small and seemingly benign episode raises questions about Apple's political entanglements, and the extent of Israeli influence.

Israel recently appealed personally to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to take down a Palestinian Third Intifada page that had attracted more than 350,000 fans. After initially refusing, Facebook, too, complied.

Arguably, Apple should not have agreed to publish the app in the first place -- or at least changed its name to something less politically volatile. The company enforces stringent guidelines for the applications it approves, and has previously rejected or blocked apps that it considers offensive or inflammatory. Earlier this year, Apple pulled an app offering to "cure homosexuality" after more than 100,000 people signed a petition calling for its removal.

While the Intifada app may indeed be deemed offensive by some Zionist groups, it seems unlikely that such a fuss would have been made for a similar app detailing the Egyptian or Tunisian protest movements -- or, for that matter, the recent protests in Britain against government spending cuts.

The question here is not just about Apple's murky politics, Palestinian antagonism or Israel's far-reaching influence, but about the role of a state -- any state -- in pressurising an international organisation to withdraw one of their products. Two wrongs, as the saying goes, don't make a right.

Whichever way you look at it, this example sets a worrying -- if not wholly unexpected -- precedent for future dealings between Palestinians and the Israeli state.

Emanuelle Degli Esposti is a freelance journalist currently living and working in London. She has written for the Sunday Express, the Daily Telegraph and the Economist online.

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Tags: Palestine iphone apple Israel

More from Emanuelle Degli Esposti

View the discussion thread.

19 comments

Fri, 2011-06-24 20:38 — C.Dale (not verified)

CONTROL THE MEDIA! What, us?

That is absolutely not true! We may control the House of Representatives and through that, American foreign policy and 3 billion annually in US tax dollars to Israel- but the media - never!

Sun, 2011-06-26 12:13 — Luddite (not verified)

Here we go again more Jewish conspiracy rubbish. The JEWS did the deed, it's all the fault of the Jews, the world is controlled by Zionists. The Jews murdered Christ, spread the plague, invented AIDS!! started WWI WWII and in not the distant future will start WWIII. Some on the so called political-left will not be happy until the Jews are again walking into the gas chambers, or is that just another Jewish conspiracy.

Tue, 2011-06-28 00:02 — Free speech for everyone (not verified)

If you like the concept free speech you shouldn't be using Apple in the first place.

Sat, 2011-06-25 00:51 — I'm a BelieverMonkee (not verified)

Intifada might sound romantic and idealistic to 'progressives" but certainly not to the hundreds of victims of "intifadaist" suicide bombers. Two were enough.

Sat, 2011-06-25 01:15 — Nero (not verified)

Apple and Facebook are entirely ashkenazi run and ashkenazi controlled. Facebook started out that way. Apple went that way in the late 90's when steve jobs came back and brought a large number of ashkenazi cronies with him who were latched on to him like parasites and completely took over the company - that's exactly when our askenazi-controlled media started bolstering apple and doing free advertisement for them through their so-called "news". I strongly desuade anyone with engineering or other talent to work for these companies. They will steal your ideas and take ownership of them, humiliate you and throw you out in the street. in that order

Keywords: Ralf Brunner, Peter Graffagnino, Scott Forestall, Mike Paquette, Derek Clegg, Andrew Barnes, Haroon bin Sheikh

Sun, 2011-06-26 18:42 — Fousayfousa (not verified)

Luddite, what is your problem the issue is not Judaism so please don't embarrass us by tarnishing something as beautiful as Judaism with something as corrupt as Zionism!!It is quite remarkable how the mentioning of Israel, a state like any other modern, can generate so many comments and strong feeling. If this was an article about the UK and some Argentines in an island close to the south American coast calling for freedom and the British had forced facebook to take it off would we react in the same way? For those who claim this article is bias - what the hell are you talking about!?? This article doesn't even scratch the surface in terms of Israel's atrocities towards a people who have been displaced and discriminated against by a powerful state. (Before you come back to me with abuse please read Israeli literature e.g Benny Morris, Illan Pape and Avi Schlaim)Should we allow any state to have such power??. Israel does not represent Judaism it simply represents a modern state with all the problems of modernity.

Sat, 2011-06-25 04:17 — south pacific

at least the Chinese are not yet controlled by the Jews so there is still hope for the rest of the world.

There is no hope for the West.

Sun, 2011-07-17 00:03 — Morrissey (not verified)

Uzi,
That "damn fine army" was comprehensively beaten by Hezbollah guerillas in 2006. Mind you, the IDF does a fine job of oppressing and terrorizing the citizens of the West Bank and Gaza, though. But does manning illegal road-blocks and shooting old men and children make the IDF a "damn good army"?

You are way out of your depth, my friend. Have you ever thought of reading a book about the Israel-Palestine situation? Or, even better, a whole lot of books?

Sat, 2011-06-25 05:59 — Freeman2

Uzi - you're a walking example of the old saying 'The Israelis have never forgiven the Palestinians for what the Nazis did to the Jews'. Well done.

Sat, 2011-06-25 06:07 — Jewish Human Rights Activist (not verified)

This is the most stupid discussion!
Israel invented Apple, the iPhone, the cell phone,the Graham Bell telephone, Microsoft, electricity, gravity and, yes, you guessed it - sex. Without Israel we would have virtually zilch - only peace and cheap gas. This way we get to build and export F15/F16 attack aircraft and cluster bombs and tanks, and missile systems, and rocket launchers, and drones with nuclear warheads, and submarines and bunker busting bombs which all contribute to peace in the world through the application of a little quasi judicious punishment here and there. As instructed and supervised by an AIPAC controlled congress, of course.

Tue, 2011-07-19 16:26 — Julia Harris (not verified)

Where is the outrage?

2011.07.18 (Farah, Afghanistan) - The Taliban send the beheaded bodies of two hostages to their families.
2011.07.18 (Xingjian, China) - Muslim separatists attack a police station, killing two officers and two hostages.
2011.07.17 (Mosul, Iraq) - Mujahideen murder a man, his wife, and their child with grenade shrapnel.
2011.07.17 (Mann Talab, Pakistan) - A peace committee volunteer is tied to the back of a car and dragged to death by Lashkar-e-Islam.
2011.07.17 (Baghlani Jadid, Afghanistan) - Islamic militants open fire on a wedding party, killing two guests.
2011.07.17 (Mosul, Iraq) - A woman is among three people machine-gunned to death at a police checkpoint.

Sat, 2011-06-25 18:58 — Andrew Emenike (not verified)

Can we all get along,Not long ago Jews and the Arabs lived in peace.What happened?

Sat, 2011-06-25 19:57 — Ridiculous Article (not verified)

This is not a balanced article whatsover, nor is it a news story. There is no evidence for anything.

Israel may have stopped a group that want to wipe it off the map by removing an app promoting it. I don't quite see a problem with that really.

This is not news, this is a ridiculous rant of a biased individual.

Please do some research and write some news and not a rant about your personal feelings.

Sat, 2011-06-25 21:42 — Silliness (not verified)

There was great cause for apps removal, period. What was strikingly Not mentioned in this, but is mentioned even in te most biased of places, is the fact tht the Palestinian intifadas have not been simply uprisings, but violent ones. The third intifada is nothing but a call for the same.

Mon, 2011-08-29 21:46 — Parkour Pete (not verified)

Morrisey

I know what you mean about the IDF. Why oh why can't Israel look at their Arab neighbours and learn by example how to behave in a civilised way? They don't kill anyone and just want to offer people beautifully cooked yet exotic food (did you see The Promise). Millions are dying every day in Gaza and no one anywhere in the world seems to care. I just want to hug all arabs and hold them close to my chest and say 'there, there, it's all tight' and I'm sure you feel the same.

Mon, 2011-08-29 21:51 — Parkour Pete (not verified)

Nero
You know deep down you'd be happier frequenting far-right sites. Perhaps you already do? Asshole

Fri, 2011-06-24 19:17 — Freeman2

Israel's control machine is little sort of remarkable. It doesn't help though as we are still capable of thinking.

Fri, 2011-06-24 19:47 — RayMachine (not verified)

Spot on, Freeman. Down with the Ziocons.

Fri, 2011-06-24 19:55 — Uzi (not verified)

Damn! It was so much easier when the Jews were passive and could be wa;lked into gas chambers during WWII. Now, they have their own nation, Israel, a damn good army, IDF, and don't take s**T from anyone. As opposed to pre-WWII, when anit-Jew crusades were OK with the general public (world-wide), today they actually take offense at being threatened with genocide. I liked the Jews better when they were a soft-target.