The Israeli Media and Advocacy War on Gaza

Everyone - happy New Year 2009/1430!

Given that I’ve injured my right hand on New Year’s Eve (and was forced to do the midnight countdown with the hot nurses of the ER, poor poor me) I’ll be doing some copying and pasting today, from a 14-page (unformatted) document by the Israel Project, titled

“Language Guide: On Gaza: Israel’s Actions to Defend its Citizens Against the Iran-backed War Against Israel”.

For those who don’t know of it, the Israel Project is a Washington DC-based advocacy organisation whose mission is to pass on the Israeli version of events as facts, lobbying the media and anyone on Capitol Hill who’d listen to their spiel.

The Devil’s pro-bono Advocate, if you wish. :)

(yes, I love my joke. Despite the fact that they don’t deny getting Israeli government funding, but still.)

Aaaaaaaanyways.

So their 14-page doc is basically guidelines for Israel advocates about what to say when talking about the current war in Gaza.

Follow the party line, kids.

It’s extremely interesting. Especially since Israel is yet to allow journalists in Gaza. You read this right: NO FOREIGN JOURNALISTS IN GAZA.

Reporting we get is primarily second-hand sources from press agencies with local staff (Al-Jazeera is apparently an exception, with its own staff on the ground. Take a look) as well as reporting done by the Israeli army itself, which the Israeli media has been repeating ad-verbatim.

Remember when we used to say that the 1991 Gulf War was the first war we watched live on CNN? This has been reversed in Gaza, with the media blackout.

(one of the rare international sources from Gaza is from international peace activists blogging Live from Gaza, here).

This document is essentially an exhaustive compilation of the pre-packaged arguments I was talking about in my last post.

The Israeli war-machine is so keen on spreading its version of events that it has appointed former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman - I've met him, he's a terrible liar! Bad choice! - as, and I'm not making this up, “Operation Cast Lead Interim Public Diplomacy Director”. The Israeli government has a "Public Diplomacy Director" for a war. A Minister of Propaganda, if you wish.

I’ll quote a segment of this document and, as you read it, I invite you to think of everything you’ve been reading in the past days. American, British news sources, Israeli newspapers, and Israeli blogs. The same prepackaged arguments resurfaces, as these people have been regurgitating them - purposefully or not. Blogs in particular I have found very disappointing, with very little critical thought provided. Particularly from the people I once thought were reasonable.

חבל.

Enjoy the read. It is truly enlightening of the way Israel conducts its media wars. Wars we, as conscientious bloggers, citizens of the world, need to be aware of, and counter with facts and logic. Which you are invited to write in the comments section. A second debunking article, hopefully, should follow.

QUOTE:

“Several core messages are essential to a winning communications strategy about IDF defensive actions in Gaza:

- *Israel**'s obligation to defend its citizens;*

- Israel withdrew from all of Gaza more than three years ago in hopes of peace, there is NO occupation of Gaza, Israel wants a two-state solution
- The dire situation in Sderot where neighborhoods of innocent Israelis are being deliberately attacked with rockets as often as dozens of times a day

- The expansion of the threat to Ashdod and Ashkelon - a city with 120,000 people that is now also under attack by Iran-backed terrorists who are shooting rockets from inside human shields
- Israel has an obligation to defend its citizens from the threat of Iran-backed terrorists now - just as it did when Iran-backed Hezbollah attached Israel not long ago

- Iran's President has said he wants to "wipe Israel off the map."
They are developing nuclear materials in defiance of the world while supporting, training and arming Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and others.
- Israel is no different from any other sovereign nation that must protect their citizens from those who would kill them.
- *Empathy for the average Palestinian;*

- *Israel**'s desire and actions for a two state solution and a secure peace* - the fact that there is an active peace process underway and that Israel, like when it gave up the Sinai for peace with Egypt, Israel is ready to make painful sacrifices for a better future for both sides.
- *Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups are funded and armed by Iran.* We must refer to them as Iran-backed terrorists in order to keep the critical issue of Iran's nuclear development in the headlines as well.
Using words like, *"We have seen the damage and destruction that Iran-backed terrorists can do with rockets and missiles. Imagine what can happen when Iran decides to share its nuclear material as well."

And that goes on for 14 pages. Isn’t that fantastic? Seriously, these guys deserve our admiration, don’t they? They are bringing manipulation, and Doublespeak to a new level. Chapeau!