The digital battle for influence between activists supporting Palestinians and those backing Israel continues despite the ceasefire in Gaza.
The activist, non-profit and information organisations that have emerged in the two-year war show no sign of slowing down operations.
The battle spilt over to social media platforms that were accused of censorship, and even established technology companies such as Microsoft and Google found themselves on the defensive.
At one point, Google workers were fired by the company for protesting against the company's $1.2 billion deal with the Israeli government.
About the same time, a group called No Tech For Apartheid gained significant momentum, organising workers at Google and Amazon seeking to protest against both companies' contracts with Israel.
A subsidiary of NTFA, known as No Azure for Apartheid, consisted largely of current and former employees of Microsoft who accused it of providing AI tools and cloud-computing solutions to Israel's military.
Amid pressure from No Azure for Apartheid and media reports, in September Microsoft announced that, based on its own findings, it decided to disable a set of services to a unit in Israel's Ministry of Defence.
Even with the ceasefire announcement on October 11, No Azure for Apartheid kept pressure on Microsoft.
“We do not stop for a ceasefire or half-measures! We stop when Palestine is free,” the group posted on X one day after, revealing that another Microsoft employee, Scott Sutfin-Glowski, had resigned in protest.
Several days later, No Azure for Apartheid rallied protesters who rowed kayaks lose to the homes of Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella and president Brad Smith, accusing them of stalling in cutting some services to Israel's military.
No Azure for Apartheid did not respond to The National's requests for comment.
Along similar lines, 7amleh, more commonly known as the Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media, released a report several days after the ceasefire titled: “A War without Bullets: How Disinformation Reshapes the Reality of Palestinian Youth on the Backdrop of a Genocide”.
“The paper examines how disinformation has become one of the central tools of Israel’s war on Gaza – not only to justify genocide but also to re-engineer the collective consciousness of both Palestinians and the global public, particularly among youth,” reads a brief description.
More specifically in its report, 7amleh accused technology companies of algorithmic bias with social media platforms and even search engines.
“Tech companies manipulate the contents to which users are exposed through removal, Shadowbanning and automated visibility restrictions,” 7amleh claimed.
It said that the Palestinian situation was disproportionately affected and censored by the companies.
On the other side of the spectrum are organisations such as CyberWell, based in Tel Aviv, which describes itself as world’s first live database of online anti-Semitism.
“Over the last six months and more recently since the October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel users have flooded social media with terms like 'Gaza Holocaust' and 'Gaza Holocaust survivor',” a news release from the group reads.
CyberWell's founder and chief executive, Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor, said the trend was an attempt to “blatantly trivialise the Holocaust, trying to equate its victims – the Jewish people – with its Nazi perpetrators".
Also showing no sign of winding down is Jewish Onliner, which uses artificial intelligence to show “anti-Israel movements".
In March, the site’s reporting on Helyeh Doutaghi, a scholar of international law at Yale University, led to Yale Law School severing ties with her.
She denied the accusations, and accused Jewish Onliner of deception, but the site did not back down.
Jewish Onliner still shows no indication of slowing down its output or winding down operations, with recent stories being posted on Monday.
“We’ll continue to refine and expand this model in the months ahead as the information space evolves,” it said in a statement. “We believe that the results of the responsible, AI-driven work that Jewish Onliner does speaks for itself.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Teams
India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second
RESULTS
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
