Israel’s Disinformation Strategies and the Use of Hasbara Networks

In an age dominated by information, disinformation has become a powerful tool in the arsenal of governments and organizations seeking to shape public opinion. Israel's use of disinformation as a means of advancing its interests and managing its image is extensive and more evidenced in the current war on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. One of the key elements of Israel’s disinformation strategy is the use of Hasbara networks, which play a crucial role in disseminating disinformation and diversionary narratives to influence public perception in the US and Europe. How do Israel’s disinformation strategies work, and the role of Hasbara networks in shaping the narrative surrounding the Palestinians that end up justifying all actions taken by an occupying power?

Understanding Disinformation

Before delving into Israel’s disinformation strategies, it’s essential to grasp the concept of disinformation itself. Disinformation is the deliberate and strategic spread of structured false or misleading information intending to deceive, manipulate, or influence public opinion. One has to distinguish between misinformation, lack of information, or a lie to cover up a fact versus the use of disinformation. From the definition, disinformation is a deliberate and strategic tool used to deceive, manipulate, or influence public opinion, which is mostly focused on policymakers and the general public through the use of various media platforms. It can take many forms, from fabricated news stories and manipulated images to using social media bots, troll armies, and the deployment of civil society figures in the campaign.Israel’s disinformation campaigns often seek to exploit existing policy divisions, sow confusion regarding its actions, and undermine trust in credible sources of information.

Israel’s Disinformation Strategies

Israel’s war on Gaza has faced steady challenges and condemnation from various online voices, particularly about its targeting of Palestinian civilians, the bombing of hospitals, restrictions on food, fuel, and electricity, and the unrestrained settler violence in the occupied territories. To counter the successful international solidarity with Palestinians, the negative social media narratives and advance its Aprtheied interests on the global stage, Israel has employed a range of disinformation strategies:

Strategic Use of Media and Social Media: Israel has extensively used mainstream media and social media platforms to disseminate its narrative and counter-criticism. Government agencies, the IDF, and advocacy groups have employed tactics such as posting pro-Israel content, sharing selectively edited videos, and using hashtags to shape online conversations. The mainstream media had constantly reported from the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, embedded with the Israeli Defense Forces, and allowed Israeli military censors to approve the final reports from the field. This makes the reports from the field more of a structured propaganda content pushed out via Western media outlets. Furthermore, the social media campaigns witnessed efforts often involve presenting Israel as a victim of Palestinian violence while it is a vibrant Western democracy and highlighting its technological innovations while downplaying the Palestinian perspective.

Weaponizing Falsehoods: Like other nations engaged in disinformation campaigns, Israel works to spread false information to bolster its case, reframe media coverage in the West, and provide timely talking points to supportive elites in the US and Europe. For instance, during the current Gaza campaign, Israel attacked Al-Shifa Hospital criticism, which was managed by distributing a misleading video that purported to show weapons in the facility and tunnels underneath the hospital. The video was later debunked, but the reframing of the debate in the Western press did the needed damage and gave Israel the cover to carry on attacking more hospitals and prevent sympathy with the victims.

Coordinated Messaging: Israel’s government has coordinated its messaging efforts through various ministries and agencies in the global Hasbara network to ensure a unified and consistent narrative. The network managed to get a quick construction of narratives supportive of Israel, which was also coupled with visits by Israeli diplomats and civil society organizations to political leaders and media outlets. This coordinated and unified global messaging allows Israel to present a solid front and gives the needed tools to respond quickly to emerging Palestinian narratives that are seen as detrimental to its image. Here, the unified messaging across all markets, segments, and organizational infrastructure produces the needed reinforcement for a singular message, while the Palestinian narrative has a multiplicity of frames and sometimes conflicting responses.

Targeting Influential Voices: Israel has always been able to seek to engage high-level influencers, journalists, and opinion leaders to shape their perspectives and gain favorable coverage. Israel's work in this area is non-stop and built over a long period. Regularly, Israel facilitates sponsored visits to the country by politicians at all levels, media personalities, journalism students, religious figures, cultural producers, and others to cultivate relations. By providing access and controlled visits to key figures and arranging local engagements and briefings, Israel aims to build positive relationships with those who have the potential to influence public opinion, which gets active at times of crisis.

Hasbara Networks: We must discuss one of the critical pieces of the disinformation infrastructure. The most significant component of Israel’s disinformation strategy is the use of Hasbara networks, which are dedicated to promoting Israel’s image across all avenues of civil society and defending its policies no matter how wrong or apparently false they may be. Hasbara is a Hebrew term meaning “explanation” or “public relations,” with the distinctive task of explaining away or diverting the narrative from a critical examination of Israel’s actions. The attacks on Gaza’s hospitals are a clear example of the deployment of the Hasbara network and creating the needed diversion from violation of International Law into suspicion of being a command center for Hamas. These networks consist of individuals and organizations, both within and outside Israel, that actively engage in shaping the narrative in favor of Israel, which increasingly use AI, and other farming centers to push out the disinformation narrative.