Seattle music artist OCTAMAN censored by Google for pro-Israel editorial

Octaman is a Seattle based music artist and self described "reggae Zionist" who publishes his pro-Israel views on his own web pages. His latest blog entry, entitled "Israel To Mandate Proportionate Use of Force" was also published on the front page of the Israeli news website "Israel Insider". His editorial is a unique role reversal that hypothetically details what life might be like if Israel were to respond "proportionately" to the enemies of Jewish people down through history.

The article held up a mirror by listing real atrocities committed against Jews, asking the reader to imagine a scenario wherein Israel enacts identical policies that history describes were actually instituted against them. Categorically listing many nations, Octaman recounts documented factual events in Jewish history, from the Arab war of annihilation launched in 1948 to the horrors of the Holocaust, to the expulsion from Spain in the 1490's down to and including the brutalities of ancient Rome. At the end of the comparison, Octaman reminds the reader to be thankful that the Jews never would reciprocate proportionally what was done unto them throughout their past.

Less than one week later web giant Google informed the owner of Israel Insider that unless he removed the article, Israelinsider.com would have it's website account closed. To quote Google's correspondence:

"Publishers are not permitted to place Google ads on sites with content advocating against any individual, group, or organization. Please visit our Help Center (https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=105947) for more information."

The link above reads:

"Content which advocates against an individual, group, or organization

Google believes strongly in the freedom of expression, but also reserves the right to exercise discretion and protect AdWords advertisers.

Google ads aren't permitted on content that may be construed as biased against individuals, groups, or organizations based on criteria such as race, religion, disability, sex, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or political affiliation. Additionally, Google ads may not appear on content that exists solely to demean or dehumanize people, as such sites may be interpreted as negative or offensive.

However, websites containing academic or historical content related to such subjects are permitted to participate in AdSense."

In truth, Octaman's article is a far cry from advocacy against any group. It is quite obviously advocating for Israel. And as other web publishers such as the Jawa Report have already discovered, this is a form of advocacy that Google is making an active effort to suppress.

In the land of free speech, this is disturbing to say the least.