Activists demand Netflix reinstates Palestinian films removed from its catalogue

Activist group CODEPINK is set to deliver a petition to Netflix's Headquarters in Los Angeles and Los Gatos to reinstate 19 films discussing Palestine or directed by Palestinians onto the streaming platform after they were removed from its catalogue.

Earlier this month, 19 films which were part of the "Palestinian Stories" collection on Netflix, were removed from the streaming giant's platform.

In a statement, CODEPINK reported that the petition, which has gathered over 12,000 signatures at the time, called on Netflix to "reinstate the Palestinian Stories now".

The petitions will be delivered by Jodie Evans, co-founder of CODEPINK and executive producer of The Square.

"A genocide is not the time to be silent about Palestine, instead we must raise up Palestinian stories and voices and humanize those being dehumanized," Evans said.

"Shame on Netflix for censoring and dehumanizing Palestinians," she added, saying that "taking the side of those carrying out a genocide puts you on the wrong side of history."

A Netflix spokesperson said that the films were removed from streaming due to the expiration of their licenses in October 2024. They added that Palestinian titles remain available on the platform and that Netflix plans to continue offering such content.

"We launched this licensed collection of films in 2021 for three years. Those licenses have now expired. As always we continue to invest in a wide variety of quality films and TC shows to meet our members’ needs and celebrate voices from around the world," Netflix said in a statement.

However, Nour Jaghama, CODEPINK's Palestine campaign manager accused Netflix of "erasure".

"Netflix is silencing the truth, leaving propaganda that obscures the reality of occupation to go unchecked against Palestinian's lived experiences," she said.

In a joint letter signed last week, 37 groups including Freedom Forward, the Council on American Islamic Relations and CODEPINK also called on Netflix to reinstate the films.

The letter said that given Israel's war on Gaza, "Netflix should be promoting - not deleting - Palestinian films so that more people can learn about Palestinian life under Israeli military domination and occupation".