Authorities have arrested several Palestinians and Israelis in the past few months for their incitive posts on Facebook regarding violence targeting other people, which began last October.

Up to 60 people have reportedly been charged since the attacks started. Haifa-based rights group Adallah Legal Center added that about 400 people were arrested. About 150 of them are Palestinians, and 250 are Arab citizens of Israel.

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Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, the spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces, said that the incitement to violence on social media platforms is an increasing problem. Many assailants reportedly admitted that they were inspired by the posts on Facebook and other social media sites urging to them carrying out the attacks.

In one incident, a teenager accused of stabbing an Israeli woman named Dafna Meir to death in front of her children was said to have watched an incitive post on social media. The teenager then set out to murder Jews. Lerner said that the incident took place in the West Bank settlement of Otniel in January.

Due to the growing problem, the Israeli parliament has passed a bill that will cut down "incitement to violence or terror." The pending bill aims to allow more indictments related to incitement to violence or terror.

The current law in Israel permits a charge of incitement to violence and terror only when there is proof that such posts, speeches, or any other medium directly leads to violent acts by whoever reads or hears it. The pending bill will now no longer require proof that a suspect intended to carry out violence after reading, watching, or hearing incitement posts. The pending bill will also apply to those merely calling for violence. Anyone found guilty could be placed behind bars for five years.

Among the people recently arrested and charged, a Palestinian beautician named Majd Atwan was sentenced to 45 days behind bars and fined $775 on May 9, for praising a bus bombing in Jerusalem. Last November, Israeli police arrested Hagai Amir over a Facebook post threatening Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

Tagsincitement posts, violence, Palestine, Israel, Israeli authorities, Jerusalem, Facebook, social media sites