PayPal has upheld its ban on Palestinians living in the occupied territories. While Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are prohibited from using the service, Israeli settlers are allowed to use the digital payment platform.
The company’s decision comes days after eleven Democratic House members called on PayPal to expand its services to Palestinians. The letter was delivered at the company’s Annual General Meeting by Sam Bahour, a Palestinian-American businessman and co-founder of the PayPal4Palestine campaign. Bahour gave a 5-minute statement, on behalf of the group Harrington Investments, supporting a shareholder resolution and asking for a vote on the issue. PayPal’s board recommended a “no” vote and the resolution failed to pass.
“Access to online platforms should be enjoyed without discrimination,” read the letter, which was sent to PayPal CEO Dan Schulman. “The ability to use PayPal is critical for entrepreneurs, businesses, and freelancers with regional and international customers. This access is especially crucial for Palestinians given the devastating impacts to the Palestinian economy of Israel’s occupation and blockade of the Gaza strip. Arbitrarily denying financial services to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza infringes upon Palestinians’ ability to engage in online commerce, limiting opportunities for economic growth and empowerment.”
The letter was authored by Mark Pocan (D-WI) in collaboration with the human rights group 7amleh. It was signed by Rep.s Ihan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Betty McCollum (D-MI) Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) Greg Casar (D-TX), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) James McGovern (D-MA)Sara Jacobs (D-CA) and Cori Bush (D-MO).
Israelis living in illegal settlements can use @PayPal — but not Palestinians next door.
At PayPal’s Annual General Meeting this week, @SamBahour will tell shareholders directly why their open discrimination must end.
Let’s back him up: https://t.co/THv25eq0XT #PayPal4Palestine pic.twitter.com/FAVcqd9Y2J
— MPower Change (@MPower_Change) May 23, 2023
“The Israeli occupation makes it next to impossible for Palestinians to make ends meet,” reads a petition connected to the effort. “Unemployment is a shocking 48% in Gaza, so many Palestinians are desperately seeking other options like launching local digital ventures or doing freelance work online to get by.”
“There is no reason for PayPal to continue this discrimination — it’s biggest competitor, Apple Pay, serves Palestinians,” it continues. Yet, PayPal continues its discrimination against Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza in direct violation of UN guidelines.”
The petition has been signed by over 275,000 so far, including Mark Ruffalo. “Friends: Paypal operates in Israel’s illegal settlements — but is refusing to provide service to Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank, in direct violation of UN guidelines,” tweeted the actor in 2022. “Join the international call to PayPal to end its baseless discrimination now.”
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.