By Hagar Shezaf, Haaretz
Israeli soldiers have been involved in an organized effort to take photos of Palestinian residents of the West Bank town of Hebron and have even competed with one another to provide the photos for a facial recognition database being used to monitor Palestinians.
According to a Washington Post investigative report published Monday, over the past two years, Israeli soldiers have begun using a facial recognition smartphone technology called Blue Wolf to take pictures of Palestinians’ faces and cross-reference them against a database of other photos. The app then alerts the soldier whether individuals should be detained based on prior information about them.

In the course of the creation of the database, soldiers photographed Palestinians and even competed with one another over the number of pictures that they took. It is thought that the database contains thousands of photos, the Post stated.
One soldier quoted by the Post recounted how last year, his unit was tasked with taking pictures of as many Palestinians as possible in Hebron using old army smartphones.
The Washington Post’s report was also based on information supplied by Breaking the Silence, an organization of Israeli army veterans that exposes army abuses committed in the occupied territories.
Recent Posts
A Letter To Joe Biden
November 28, 2023
Take Action Now “You enable massive death and destruction. Your position and that of the Democratic Party turns my stomach.” By David Barsamian…
If Donald Trump Wins Next Year, Don’t Blame The Voters. Blame Joe Biden.
November 28, 2023
Take Action Now It’s the job of politicians to appeal to voters. Right now what Joe Biden is selling is two wars and an economy that isn’t working…
Trade Unions Fight Against Argentina’s Privatization Under Milei
November 28, 2023
Take Action Now Argentinian President-Elect Milei is moving to privatize energy… and everything else. by Trade Unions for Energy Democracy…
The Labor Movement’s Stalwart Support For Israel Is Shifting
November 28, 2023
Take Action Now The U.S. labor movement has a decades-long history of supporting Israel wholeheartedly, punctuated by moments of pro-Palestine…