Palestinians are the most surveilled population in the world

Evidence

Before workers from Gaza and the West Bank were banned from crossing the border with Israel in 2023, the level of surveillance kept intensifying. As was the case in South Africa during the apartheid era, Palestinians were allowed to work only for the employer indicated on their permit—containing both worker and employer details. They were allowed to travel only to the area of their work and were required to return within a certain time or risk arrest. The permits are biometric cards needed to pass through crowded checkpoints, a sector that is very profitable for artificial intelligence corporations that implement automatic facial recognition technology. For decades, the Palestinians have been the most surveilled population in the world, monitored regardless of age, location, or intent. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 333

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the apartheid-era pass system documented in South African historiography; connects to Mattei’s broader argument that capitalist subjugation mirrors apartheid control.