Why a potential US ban on TikTok will favor Israel

By Emre Basaran

ISTANBUL (AA) - As the US House of Representatives passed a bill proposing a ban on Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, one of America’s major Jewish groups released an unprecedented statement in support of the legislative action.

The bill gives TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, six months to sell the app’s US assets or face a total ban in the country. The measure, however, still needs Senate approval and the president’s signature.

The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), an umbrella organization of American Jewish groups, lauded the move, alleging that TikTok “has helped fuel a horrific spike in antisemitism.”

The JFNA’s appreciation of a possible TikTok ban indicates that such a move will be in favor of Israel, an expert told Anadolu, adding that increasing pro-Palestine and anti-Israel posts on the app are harming Israeli schemes to control American youths’ opinions.

Nursin Atesoglu Guney, head of the international relations department at Istanbul’s Yildiz Technical University, underlined that the US House move is aimed at protecting Israeli interests.

But she asserted that the plan “will amount to nothing,” while also refuting the argument that antisemitism is on the rise on the platform.

“What is really happening is not TikTok paving the way for antisemitism, but showing a real phenomenon, that is the growing dissent among youth against the dominant pro-Israel narrative in the country,” the academic said.

“There’s no stopping the perception that Israel is an aggressor,” she said, referring to the devastating assault Israel has been waging in Gaza since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

Israel, which stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, has now killed more than 31,300 Palestinians in Gaza, injured over 71,100 others and pushed millions to the brink of famine.

“These protectionist moves will amount to nothing. They might be resorting to those due to the fact that the elections are drawing closer,” said Guney.

- ‘Youth not believing the lies anymore’

The academic also criticized the statement in which JFNA pins the blame on TikTok for growing anti-Israel sentiment among American youth.

She stressed that sources of information are no longer restricted to conventional media, and the youth are exposed to different opinions and content through social media.

“The youth can clearly see the reality as they closely follow social media,” said Guney, adding that they are “not believing the lies anymore.”

The US administration is trying to “hide realities” with its efforts to block TikTok, she said.

Israel and the US are arguably the staunchest allies on a global scale, and Washington considers Israel’s security vital to its own strategic interests.

As growing dissent on TikTok has been instrumental in shifting American public opinion against Israel, the app has become a target for many pro-Israel lobbies such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

In a recent interview with MSNBC, ADL head Jonathan Greenblatt said TikTok has become “the 24/7 news channel of so many of our young people, and it’s like Al Jazeera on steroids, amplifying and intensifying the antisemitism and the anti-Zion(ism) with no repercussions.”

JFNA also said ByteDance “is beholden to the Chinese government, which has squarely positioned itself against Israel.”

“China has filled its state-controlled media and social media channels with antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric,” the group said.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew criticized the “disappointing” vote, vowing that the company will do “all we can” to protect the app, including “exercising legal rights.”

He asserted that the company has taken several measures to protect data and insulate TikTok from outside influences.

In a statement, TikTok said it remains “hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service.”

“This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it’s a ban,” read the statement.