I-Watch: Palestine’s Source of Reliable Information 

Palestine has been subjected to a constant array of human rights violations and land under occupation is always at risk for annexation. Moreover, the development of the land acquisition law in 1953 by the Israeli government and other policies put in place afterward, have created a formal means for turning a blind eye to the illegal expropriation of land in Palestine (1). Furthermore, with over 60% of land in the West Bank being considered area C, Israel manages to heavily control the planning and construction of the majority of the West Bank. Area C regions have mostly been allocated for the overall benefit of the Israeli settlements, at the cost of Palestinian communities. This is an ongoing process. Land expropriation and confiscation are something that every Palestinian tries to protect themselves from. With this in mind, the importance of having reliable, up-to-date, accurate, and precise information on lands, policies, and military operations is essential to bringing light to this situation and to potentially protecting the human rights of Palestinians.  

I-Watch is a startup developed by a team of experts as part of their final project with the Data Science Journey. This startup focuses on providing reliable and accurate information to journalists and potential stakeholders in real-time, so they may be able to relay the information in defense of Palestinian human rights. “With I-WATCH, the Palestinian people will have access to reliable sources of information while being empowered to contribute in a participatory, inclusive, and diverse manner. I-WATCH will be the platform for collecting information about, documenting, and contesting human rights violations in Palestine, thereby creating a database accessible to everyone.”, stated the team. 

Moreover, the application will provide predictions for lands at risk of confiscation by the Israeli government. By the use of predictive risk factors, the application will be able to state which lands are at higher risk of being taken and give the locals a warning beforehand. The digital platform will entail seven main categories including predictions, data storytelling, an interactive map, and notifications. “Today, Israel is not only trying to stop the spread of accurate information about its future settlements and land confiscations in West Bank but also through a campaign of disinformation that is misleading international media and deciding its priorities. And so, Israel has much reason to try and silence any voices telling the truth about what’s really happening. “, explained the team. 

Currently, the team is working on building the prototype and is expanding on the human rights violations being considered for this startup.  

1. Bisharat GE. Land, Law, and Legitimacy in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Am Univ Law Rev. 1994;43:467–561.