Some Questions for the IDF on their Media Strategy
There are allegations in the international press almost every day of mass murder by IDF troops of hungry Palestinians civilians collecting food.
We of course understand clearly that not only would the IDF never mass murder innocent Palestinians, but also that it would be counter-productive for them to do so as it seeks to create alternate aid delivery mechanisms free from Hamas’ control.
Conversely, we also understand clearly that Hamas has every incentive to mass murder Palestinians if it can be used to undermine the alternative aid channels and malign Israel.
We know that causing or facilitating the deaths of Palestinian civilians has always been part of Hamas’ strategies in every context. We have seen statements from senior Hamas leaders that welcome more Palestinian civilian deaths.
The allegations in the international media completely fail to hold Hamas to account for a great crime against their own people. They therefore fail to prevent the continuation of unnecessary civilian suffering in Gaza and fail to help ordinary Gazans rise up and remove Hamas once and for all.
From an Israeli and Jewish perspective, these allegations harm Israel’s moral standing, contribute to rising worldwide antisemitism, restrict Israelis from travelling abroad, make the diplomatic environment less permissive for Israel as it seeks finally to defeat Hamas, and increase the likelihood of capitulation through a deal to end the conflict that leads to the release of thousands of terrorists and cements Hamas’ continued stranglehold on Gaza and the Palestinian cause.
We are now months into this process. The patchy evidence that is presented by the IDF typically fails to stand up to scrutiny. There is still no clear factual, evidence-based rebuttals by the IDF against these blood libels. Why?
The IDF could easily put up surveillance drones that provide continual video recording of events every day at the aid centers which, we hear, are largely peaceful and well-organised.
They could do the same at key approach points further away from the aid centers to identify Hamas provocateurs and gunmen caught in the act, as they once did in the past.
The IDF’s media teams could even engage with so-called ‘fact-checker’ organisations – controversial and arguably partisan as they are – to agree on the evidence-basis which would enable these organisations to validate that whatever violence and killings do happen, originate with and are caused by Hamas.
Does the IDF not think it worth their while? Do they not think this is an important matter? Have they tried these approaches and somehow been obstructed? Or do they not understand how and why their efforts to date are insufficient?
