TEL AVIV, Israel (Press Release) – CyberWell, a nonprofit and trusted partner of Meta (Facebook, Instagram and Threads), TikTok and YouTube working to combat online antisemitism, issued a series of alerts to major social media platforms, after monitoring a sharp rise in antisemitic incitement and hate speech online following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran war on Feb. 28.
Monitoring English, Arabic and Farsi-language content, CyberWell identified several antisemitic narratives and trending content glorifying violence against Jews and celebrating attacks on Israeli civilians. These trends were particularly prevalent on X. Some trends included hashtags and songs that were previously flagged by CyberWell during the last Israel and IRGC conflict in June 2025, that resurfaced soon after the conflict began. These include calls for violence invoking the chant “Khaybar, Khaybar, ya Yahud,” خيبر خيبر يا يهود and a related variation, “Khaybar, Khaybar, O Zionists” خيبر خيبر يا صهيون, circulation of the AI-generated song “Boom Boom Tel Aviv,” including new versions celebrating missile strikes, amplification of the conspiracy theory, “ZOG” (Zionist Occupied Government) which falsely alleges that the United States government is controlled by Israel, dehumanizing language targeting Jews and Israelis and Holocaust-justification rhetoric including the phrase “Hitler was right.”
“In moments of geopolitical escalation, we consistently see antisemitism surge online,” said CyberWell Founder and CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor. “In this case, we observed the same narratives and hashtags that we flagged for our partners in June 2025 in the earlier round of war with the IRGC, reappearing in this joint operation. Our concern for this trending antisemitism online stems from the heightened states of alert that all Jewish communities are experiencing—cautiously anticipating retaliatory attacks against the Jewish diaspora community. Antisemitism is a global problem and the platforming of Jew-hatred online is a major component of that.”
One example is the chant “Khaybar, Khaybar, ya Yahud,” which references the 7th-century Battle of Khaybar (in what is modern day Saudi Arabia) and is frequently used in as an Arabic call for violence against Jews.
Preliminary monitoring shows the phrase surged on X after the conflict began. In the six months before the war, posts containing the chant averaged about 53 per day. Since Feb. 28, that number has risen to roughly 950 posts per day, a more than 1,700 percent increase, with a peak of 1,461 posts on the first day of the conflict.
Holocaust-justification rhetoric also increased significantly. The phrase “Hitler was right” in English averaged about 1,355 posts per day during the six months before the war. On Feb. 28, usage rose to 2,245 posts and peaked at 5,467 posts on March 1, a 304 percent increase above the previous baseline.
Arabic-language versions of the phrase rose as well. One variation increased from an average of roughly two posts per day to 71 posts on the first day of the conflict. CyberWell highlighted that some platforms appear to have activated emergency moderation mechanisms during the escalation, though responses have varied across the social media ecosystem.
Observation indicates antisemitic narratives and hashtags are platformed most consistently on X now and generally during periods of increased geopolitical tension. One example is the continued visibility of the phrase “Hitler was right” as a searchable, and presumable recommended, hashtag on the platform. CyberWell said this is the third time the phrase has surged there during a major geopolitical escalation involving Israel.
“According to X’s own policies, there is no reason why a phrase explicitly celebrating the Holocaust should remain easily searchable or widely circulated,” Cohen Montemayor said. “The platform’s principle of ‘freedom of speech, not freedom of reach’ is intended to prevent harmful content from being amplified during sensitive moments like these.”
“Responding to fast-moving spikes in online antisemitism during geopolitical crises requires more than reactive moderation,” she added. “Strengthening automated detection systems, investing in regionally competent human moderation, auditing training data and maintaining structured collaboration with expert civil society partners are essential for platforms seeking to effectively enforce their own policies during moments of escalation and in general.”
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Preceding provided by CyberWell.