The Israeli government is a masterful agent of propaganda & disinformation. They weaponize the fog of war to spread false information & sow confusion.
We see this in action now after the murder of @AJENews journalist Shireen.
They have a time tested playbook:
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We see this in action now after the murder of @AJENews journalist Shireen.
They have a time tested playbook:
(Thread)
For a case study, look at the case of teenagers Nadim Nowara & Mohammad Salameh.
They were murdered in 2014. It was caught live on camera by @CNN.
IOF said its inquiry indicated that “no live bullets were fired” hinting someone else shot them, but that it will “investigate” 2/
They were murdered in 2014. It was caught live on camera by @CNN.
IOF said its inquiry indicated that “no live bullets were fired” hinting someone else shot them, but that it will “investigate” 2/
So — Step 1: Lie and build doubt: “It couldn’t have been us…”, “we don’t know what happened”, “Palestinians lie.”
Israeli Gov spokespersons are masters at doing this. We saw it today from PM Bennet. Here is Michael Oren, former IDF spokesperson doing in it teenagers’ case.
Israeli Gov spokespersons are masters at doing this. We saw it today from PM Bennet. Here is Michael Oren, former IDF spokesperson doing in it teenagers’ case.
Sadly, most media outlets just echo the disinformation straight of of the spokespersons’ mouth, while not engaging the Palestinian side. Media outlets also make the mistake of false equivalency, instead of digging a little bit deeper for context - they turn it into X vs. Y. 3/
Step 2: Change the Frame
Once the initial piece of disinformation is shared, and doubt has spread, the next step is to change the frame to normalize the violence in a context of “Israeli security.”
Here you hear talk of “clashes”, “exchange of gunfire”. They decontextualize..
Once the initial piece of disinformation is shared, and doubt has spread, the next step is to change the frame to normalize the violence in a context of “Israeli security.”
Here you hear talk of “clashes”, “exchange of gunfire”. They decontextualize..
… the reality of an army occupying a whole nation & committing crimes against humanity, instead framing themselves as the “victims”. Why were there clashes? You rarely hear about nighttime raids to arrest kids or thousands having their homes demolished…Instead it is just bc…
..”Palestinians are violent & the death is because of their violence in scenario…”
Here’s a news clip from @CBS on the story of 4 children killed in Gaza. They quote Israel’s reframing narrative, in this case “targeting terrorists”…The terrorist frame normalizes the murder…
Here’s a news clip from @CBS on the story of 4 children killed in Gaza. They quote Israel’s reframing narrative, in this case “targeting terrorists”…The terrorist frame normalizes the murder…
Step 3: Promise an “investigation”
For the vast majority of cases of war crimes Israel does not investigate. Steps 1&2 above carry the news cycle & are enough to silence uproar. But in cases where there is international outcry - Israeli launches an “investigation”.
That shifts..
For the vast majority of cases of war crimes Israel does not investigate. Steps 1&2 above carry the news cycle & are enough to silence uproar. But in cases where there is international outcry - Israeli launches an “investigation”.
That shifts..
.. the investigation shifts the whole media coverage away from the crime & into details. Very often Israel prolongs the “investigation”duration enough for the global outrage to disappear & then drops it… But in some cases people persevere. For example, the Nadim Nowara case..
In this case, the family and their supporters in civil society refused to give up on justice, and kept the story alive for years, bringing in international Forensic experts to prove the truth without a doubt — Nadim and Mohammad were killed by the Israeli soldier identified…
Embarrassed & unable to silence the campaigners for justice, Israel actually pursued the investigation to its conclusion. Unsurprisingly, it found it had murdered the teenagers.
This leads to Step 4: “It was a Mistake”
In Nadeem’s case, after the family spent 4 years…
This leads to Step 4: “It was a Mistake”
In Nadeem’s case, after the family spent 4 years…
…fighting for justice, the final military investigation by Israel, which they were forced to publish due to a court case, claimed that the soldier, Ben Deri, made a “negligent” mistake by loading live ammunition. From the @guardian coverage:
Of course that is BS, two kids were murdered an hour apart. Using live bullets requires a different handling of how the weapon is loaded…
Yet the soldier who murdered the two children spent only 9 months in prison and is now free. It took 4 years to get the case to court…
Yet the soldier who murdered the two children spent only 9 months in prison and is now free. It took 4 years to get the case to court…
This is one example of literally thousands of innocent Palestinians murdered.
Which takes us to the step that restarts the cycle
Step 5: Justice…Never, Gaslighting…Always
Israel will never hold its soldiers accountable for war crimes committed against Palestinians. @hrw
Which takes us to the step that restarts the cycle
Step 5: Justice…Never, Gaslighting…Always
Israel will never hold its soldiers accountable for war crimes committed against Palestinians. @hrw
…has confirmed that in their analysis. However, if journalists try to report on these cases in depth, they will be gaslit by claims that “Israel is the most army” & that any journalist critical of them is “anti-Semitic”. Journalists who are here for the cheque not the mission..
…will often avoid telling the real story or digging deep into. They’ll just do the easy thing — report both sides’ talking points, use false equivalency, & use the Israeli framing, then move on to the next topic.
The BBC and AP did that this morning in Shireen’s case.
The BBC and AP did that this morning in Shireen’s case.
So there you have it — the 5 steps of Israeli gov crime coverups:
1. Lie and Build Doubt
2. Change the Frame
3. Promise an “investigation”
4. “It was a mistake”
5. Justice…Never, Gaslighting…Always
Keep an eye out for them as the crime of Shireen’s murder plays out…
1. Lie and Build Doubt
2. Change the Frame
3. Promise an “investigation”
4. “It was a mistake”
5. Justice…Never, Gaslighting…Always
Keep an eye out for them as the crime of Shireen’s murder plays out…
The one hopeful note: Palestinian society has not given up on the pursuit of achieving freedom, justice & dignity.
This has been happening for 10 decades. We are still here. We are still raising our voices.
Shireen’s memory will live on, and justice will prevail.
This has been happening for 10 decades. We are still here. We are still raising our voices.
Shireen’s memory will live on, and justice will prevail.
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