Palestinian song returns to Spotify after online uproar
GAZA, Palestine – Palestinian Song is back on the digital music streaming service Spotify after its disappearance caused an online uproar.
Its disappearance had raised concerns about digital freedoms and the integrity of streaming services.
Singer Mohammed Assaf’s song Ana Dammi Falastini is back, but its removal from the streaming service has left people wondering.
Assaf’s 2015 track My Blood is Palestinian was one of the most popular songs on the digital platform.
The 33-year-old Palestinian pop singer from the Gaza Strip had risen to stardom after winning the second season of Arab Idol in 2013.
His song My Blood is Palestinian gained a huge popularity boost in 2021 when Palestinians protested the eviction of the village of Sheikh Jarrah.
Assaf said he received an email from Spotify informing him that his song had been removed because it “incited against Israel.”
Spotify representatives, however, told the media that the song had been removed at the request of the distributor.
A Zionist advocacy group We Believe in Israel had previously submitted a petition against the song. It had managed to collect 4,000 signatures.
Recently, Palestinian voices have often been subjected to aggressive censorship in digital media.
Many human rights activists believe that nationalist songs seem to be the latest targets.
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