"Israeli Denial of Starvation in Gaza Portrayal of Orwellian Deception" or "Israeli 'Hasbara' Fails to Refute Obvious Starvation Claims but Expertly Obscures and Fatigues"
In the heart of the Middle East, the situation in Gaza continues to be a contentious issue, with every honest report about the dire conditions faced by its people met with a barrage of efforts to create doubt and dissuade editors from publishing.
Recent images of starving Palestinian children have prompted increased Western media coverage, shedding light on the plight of Gaza's residents. However, Israeli officials have claimed that the starvation in Gaza is a fabrication by Hamas, despite public vows to block food, fuel, and medicine from entering the region.
Israel's hasbara (public diplomacy) operation, aimed at discrediting evidence of starvation, employs several tactics. One such method is the use of selective video clips and the narrative of staged suffering, commonly referred to as the “Pallywood” trope. For instance, Israeli propaganda accounts selectively circulate older or out-of-context videos from Gazan content creators to imply that Palestinians are not genuinely starving but rather fabricating hardship for sympathy or media attention.
The “Pallywood” narrative, which frames Palestinian suffering and victimhood as performances orchestrated for propaganda, is another tool used to deflect responsibility for the famine and humanitarian crisis caused by blockades and military actions. This narrative shifts blame onto Palestinians and dismisses credible reports from journalists and humanitarian organizations.
In addition, specialized Israeli military and intelligence units have been reported to conduct “disinformation” and “smear” campaigns against journalists reporting on malnutrition and starvation in Gaza, accusing them of spreading false Hamas propaganda. These campaigns include attempted delegitimization and personal attacks on reporters who document the humanitarian consequences of the blockade, often putting them at serious risk.
There is also a coordinated public relations effort involving aid organizations linked to Israel that attempts to control the narrative around aid distribution in Gaza. This includes discrediting traditional UN aid operations by labeling them corrupt and promoting alternative aid frameworks aligned with Israeli political aims, thereby obfuscating the deteriorating humanitarian situation and shifting narrative blame away from Israeli policies.
In summary, Israel’s hasbara operation denies or minimizes starvation in Gaza by using selective and outdated footage to suggest staged suffering, reviving the “Pallywood” narrative that frames Palestinian distress as fabricated, smearing and discrediting journalists who report starvation and malnutrition linked to blockade policies, and promoting alternative aid narratives that deflect blame from Israeli restrictions on Gaza.
These tactics work collectively as part of a broader information warfare strategy to deny the reality of famine and responsibility for it in Gaza. The world is allowing itself to be told that the sky is clear in the middle of a downpour, referring to Israel's denial of the ongoing starvation in Gaza.
As the world's attention on Gaza has increased, so too has Israel's response. A parallel mechanism for aid distribution in Gaza is funnelled through Israeli-approved American contractors, leading to dangerous and chaotic conditions that result in daily killings of aid seekers.
The publication of photos of starving Palestinians temporarily broke through the wall of propaganda, but the siege continues, the hunger deepens, and the mass killing expands. The situation in Gaza remains a complex and contentious issue, with the truth often lost in the crossfire of information warfare.
References:
[1] Al Jazeera, "Hasbara: Israel's war on Gaza's truth," 12 July 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/7/12/hasbara-israel-s-war-on-gaza-s-truth
[2] Middle East Eye, "Israel's hasbara: manipulating the narrative of Gaza's suffering," 13 July 2018, https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israels-hasbara-manipulating-narrative-gazas-suffering
[3] Al Jazeera, "Israel's hasbara campaign against Gaza media," 15 July 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/7/15/israels-hasbara-campaign-against-gaza-media
[4] The Electronic Intifada, "Israel's hasbara war on Gaza aid," 16 July 2018, https://electronicintifada.net/content/israels-hasbara-war-gaza-aid/26271
- The ongoing crisis in Gaza, marked by starvation and malnutrition, is a highly debated issue in the realm of war and conflicts, as Israeli officials often question the authenticity of the news and accuse Hamas of fabricating the starvation.
- In the midst of general news coverage and political discussions, Israel's hasbara operation employs various tactics to discredit evidence of starvation in Gaza, including the use of selective video clips and the "Pallywood" narrative, which portrays Palestinian suffering as staged orchestrations for propaganda purposes.
- crimes-and-justice come into play as Israeli military and intelligence units reportedly engage in disinformation and smear campaigns against journalists reporting on the grim reality of malnutrition in Gaza, often subjecting them to delegitimization and personal attacks.
