War in social media era — ‘Pallywood’

Ami H. Orkaby
The author, a counsel at Meitar Law Offices, is honorary consul of Korean Embassy in Israel.

In today’s wars, every battle has two fronts. The first being the military battlefield, where the key elements are soldiers, weaponry and ammunition. The other, inextricably linked to the first front, is the arena of public opinion, where a fierce battle rages for international legitimacy and control of the narrative.

This is a fight for the hearts and minds of the public and of members of the international community. In this domain, the key elements are the written word, verbal skirmishes and visual materials, generally starting via the easily accessible social media.

There is an infinite and unbridgeable moral abyss between Israel and Hamas on every level that is fully reflected in public diplomacy.

Israel bases its public diplomacy efforts on truth, authenticity and veracity. As a result, Israel is often at a disadvantage, having to pay with precious time for its insistence on obtaining the facts before releasing an official statement.

Hamas has no regard for truth or facts. Moreover, this terrorist organization is highly adept at manipulation, and willing to use any means at its disposal.

One of the most recent examples concerns the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza. As soon as the hospital was reported to have been severely damaged, Hamas immediately accused Israel. In spite of growing international outrage, Israel took the necessary time to confirm the facts before producing a statement on the matter. At the end of that investigation, it was revealed that the hospital itself was not hit by any weapon, rather its parking lot was, and that this open area was hit by an Islamic Jihad rocket launched against Israel which fell short and landed in Gaza.

However, it had taken an all-night investigation before credible proof could be provided that Israel was not at fault and that most of the original claims were false. That time gap was utilized by Hamas to incite Palestinians to violence and spread false information around the globe. World leaders fell for their lies.

Palestinian use of fabrications is well known and began long before the current war. Their infamous propaganda machine has been dubbed “Pallywood,” signifying deceptions worthy of a full-fledged Palestinian Hollywood. Pallywood has become an industry dedicated to promoting false context and misinformation, while creating an alternative reality. In this imaginary version of the world, the aggressors are presented as victims and the victims as aggressors.

Hamas has gone even further in perpetrating fraud, in what could be termed “HamaStudios.” This terrorist organization fabricates, misleads and deceives, circulating blatant lies, falsely attributing photos, contriving scenes of counterfeit Israeli misdeeds and engaging in other forms of sophistry. Hamas intensified its efforts following its deadly invasion of Israel, churning out endless Goebbels-worthy disinformation.

Many people — naively and even willingly — swallow Hamas’s bait. Accepting deceitful imagery is not only immoral but can also pose a danger to life.

It is dismaying to see thousands of demonstrators protesting against Israel in favor of Hamas after Israelis young and old were raped, abducted, burned alive and murdered. Consciously or unconsciously, deliberately or foolishly, such rallies express support for these atrocities against innocent civilians.

Some protestors are overt anti-Semites, chanting anti-Jewish epithets and even displaying swastikas. Others may simply be uninformed consumers of highly partisan media outlets who have been brainwashed by Hamas and Palestinian propaganda. But ignorance does not excuse their moral lapse. Willful blindness cannot become the basis for exculpation.

We must actively fight these dangerous and false narratives. History has shown us the short distance between deceitful rhetoric and the burning of flesh.

The Korea JoongAng Daily is open to different or opposing opinions regarding this issue.