The projection on Monday by the Israeli army of videos of the Hamas attack of October 7 for the international press is an example of the communication war in which the belligerents are also engaged.
Two weeks after the Hamas attack, the Israeli army projected, on Monday October 23, the images of what happened on October 7 in front of journalists from around the world gathered at a military base near Tel Aviv. It was a compilation of videos broadcast by members of the Palestinian Islamist organization. This is the latest example of the media war which is also playing out in the current conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. On the side of the Hebrew State, this takes the name of “hasbara”.
Historically, giving a positive image of Israel
“Hasbara” means “explanation” in Hebrew. This is what Israel’s communication abroad is called. The “hasbara” was imagined by one of the thinkers of Zionism, Nahum Sokolow, at the beginning of the 20th century. According to him, Israel suffers from a bad perception and a negative image, a misunderstanding which could be explained using “hasbara”. This doctrine received new impetus in 2012 during Operation “Pillar of Defense”, with the live broadcast of the death ofAhmed Jabarithe head of the armed wing of Hamas. Through “hasbara”, Israel wishes to justify its actions, and convince international opinion to support it.
This communication can be compared to institutionalized propaganda, according to its detractors. It is orchestrated by the government and the Israeli army through the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Strategic Affairs. And the “hasbara” can take different forms: broadcast of images by the army, broadcast of pre-roll videos on YouTube or in video games, provision of experts for foreign media, communication campaign relayed by influencers…
The battle of emotion, central element of information warfare
The emotional battle between Israel and Hamas “is a central element of this information war”recalls on franceinfo David Colon, author of Information Warfare. States conquering our mindspublished by Tallandier. “For Israel, it is a question of legitimizing the facts, of raising awareness among world opinion of the seriousness of the crimes committed on October 7, at the same time as the situation of the hostages,” analyzes the researcher at the Sciences Po history center. “For Hamas, it is a question of highlighting Palestinian civilian victims within the framework of what is commonly called a ‘victim doctrine’ that Hamas has highlighted on several occasions in 2008, in 2012 or in 2014”he continues.
Justify Israel’s action against Gaza
When the Israeli army decided to show a montage of more than 40 minutes of footage from the October 7 attack to international journalists, “she wants to arouse global compassion”, also believes Frédéric Métézeau, former Radio France correspondent in Jerusalem. Because “she knows that images from Gaza will in turn flood social networks”, adds the journalist. According to him, by showing the horror via a compilation of images shot by Hamas and Israeli civilians, “she wants to legitimize her offensive on Gaza”.