The American A-list celebrity, Mark Ruffalo posted a message on Twitter on June 6 holding Paypal accountable for the blatant discrimination in services provided and a link to a petition to bring Paypal to Palestinian territories.
“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 Ruffalo, who has been active in his support for Palestinians and the war crimes performed on them.
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.
Join the international call to Paypal to end its baseless discrimination now.https://t.co/TdWjNWuEMl
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) June 6, 2022
PayPal operates in 203 countries worldwide but has never allowed Palestinian users to sign up with addresses located in Gaza or the West Bank, despite continued pressure from residents in the regions.
Calls for Paypal to provide its services to Palestinians go back to as easily as 2016. several campaigns and petitions have been put forward to end such egregious discrimination imposed on the already financially crippled area
“PayPal’s absence is a major obstacle to the growth of Palestine’s tech sector and the overall economy. While other payment portals are available, there is no replacement for the trust and familiarity that PayPal inspires among potential users, particularly those that are unfamiliar with Palestine-based companies,” the group wrote. “Without access to PayPal, Palestinian entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and others face routine difficulties in receiving payments for business and charitable purposes.”
“Without PayPal, startups lose money and customers,” said Mohammed Qasem, CEO of Gaza-based humor website 5qhqh.com.
“One of the main revenue sources for startups is purchases on websites and apps and it is extremely important to ensure that potential customers have payment options that they trust and are comfortable using,” he added
the need for Paypal stems from its being a trusted app, unlike shady ones that are used instead of that charge significantly higher rates per service. This affects the practicality and efficiency of financial transitions.
Haaretz detailed in 2014 how PayPal’s top anti-fraud team consists of “mostly veterans of the Israel Defense Forces’ intelligence corps.”
Motherboard was told that these employees “may be opposed to [PayPal’s Palestinian expansion] for reasons that have little to do with business interests.”
The group tries to cover its discriminatory decisions under the pretexts of extremist funding. It is directly stated why PayPal chose to deny service to Palestinians, but they’re not unique. Many American companies have taken an overly broad interpretation of anti-terrorism statutes and sanctions, denying service to entire groups or geographic areas—rather than narrowly targeting those parties whom they are legally obligated to block. This practice is deeply troubling, causing serious harm to those who rely on digital services for their basic needs.
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