Link: https://www.newarab.com/news/understanding-hasbara-israels-propaganda-machine

Hasbara roughly translates to "explaining" in English. Polish Zionist activist and journalist Nahum Sokolow popularized the word in early 20th century. Hasbara shares much with other forms of modern propaganda. But it is often used to describe more granular, event-by-event distortions and fabrications used by Israeli state. These distortions justify its controversial actions and policies. In modern era it often takes form of videos, infographics and viral social media posts and hashtags released by Israeli state.

In both previous and current Israeli military attacks on Gaza there have always been excessive civilian deaths. Israel repeatedly targets civilian neighborhoods and infrastructure. One function of Hasbara is to justify targeting of civilian areas and the civilian deaths that follow. Another function is to shift blame for large numbers of civilian deaths from Israel to Hamas.

This is one reason Israel continually accuses Hamas of using schools, hospitals, neighborhoods and factories as military areas. It also accuses Hamas of using Palestinian civilians as so-called human shields. Israel has churned out satellite photos and excerpts of confessions of alleged Hamas detainees to back these claims up. Yet none of the evidence is independently verifiable. Critics argue this is not meant to be presented to third parties for scrutiny. It is Hasbara in form of weaponized disinformation. It is used to fight back against public outrage over perceived Israeli brutality.

In current attack on Gaza Israel has taken human shields justification one step further. It issued mass evacuation orders for every resident of North Gaza. Israel Hasbara narrative would have you believe it is trying to prevent human shields and civilian deaths. But some analysts argue that issuing such an unrealistic and unworkable mass evacuation order has given Israel a green light to attack civilians. Israel can whitewash such attacks by saying it warned civilians to flee. According to analysts this is why Israel attack on civilian areas has been so ferocious.

One key function of modern Hasbara is to depict Israel as the victim and even the underdog. To paraphrase Sokolow this appeals to the biblical narrative of David vs Goliath. The smaller weaker underdog battles and overcomes the stronger foe. Critics have noted this Hasbara was more believable during a conflict like 1967 Arab-Israel war. But it is plainly absurd when used against Israel modern wars on Gaza.

Israel is a nuclear-armed regional superpower. It has huge support from the US and Europe. It imposes a siege on Gaza. It controls Gaza water supply, airspace and borders. Yet still Israel persists with the idea that Hamas and Gaza pose a threat to its existence. Israeli officials including Benjamin Netanyahu have drawn direct parallels between Hamas, and sometimes all of Gaza in its current form, and Nazi Germany. This Hasbara distortion very deliberately confuses the direct motivations of Hamas and other forms of Palestinian resistance. It is also supposed to depict Hamas as somehow as militarily capable as the Nazi war machine.

For example before their recent capture of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza Israel went out of its way to depict the medical facility as what it called a Hamas command and control centre. Hamas allegedly planned its activities from there. There is no doubt that Hamas has bases. But there is no evidence that it has any kind of base at Al-Shifa. The very designation of such bases as command and control centres is a deliberately exaggerated distortion. If Israel can make you believe Hamas has something as sophisticated sounding as command and control centres you might think Hamas has advanced military capabilities. That means it has some level of parity with Israel.

The Hasbara terminology is supposed to make people believe Israel is fighting a war for its national survival. This in turn justifies the ferocity of Israel military attacks on Gaza. It is supposed to transform Palestinian victims of the massive military force unleashed on them by Israel into necessary collateral damage in a war against a force as strong and dangerous as Nazism.

Source: The New Arab, "Understanding Hasbara: Israel's propaganda machine," Sam Hamad, 18 November 2023