by Victor Rosenthal | August 21, 2024
Israel is losing (some even say she has already irrevocably lost) the information war that is being waged in parallel with the kinetic one that she has been engaged in since 1948, but especially since 7 October 2023. The usual suggestions are technical: spend more money, react more quickly to enemy propaganda, utilize social media more effectively, and so on. All of these are worth doing, but there is one factor that is even more important than all of them together, and it is both simpler and more difficult. There are four paradoxes that can be found in our situation that expose it.
The Paradox of 7 October
On that day, Israel was attacked in the most atavistic, brutal and vicious way that can be imagined. Civilians were murdered, raped, sadistically tortured, and carried off to indefinite captivity under subhuman conditions. Their homes were looted and burned. It was war as practiced before the advent of civilization. It was the greatest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust.
And yet, although there were many expressions of sympathy, both from people in general and from governments and international organizations, there was also an explosion of hatred for Israel as a nation and for Jews as individuals. Demonstrations were held around the world expressing support for the attackers, and incidents of Jew-hatred – beatings of Jews, anti-Jewish graffiti, attacks on Jewish-owned businesses, and so on spiked. How is this to be understood?
One answer is that people were primed by a decades-long campaign by the Soviet Union, both in the West and the Third World, to use anti-Zionism as a propaganda tool. The Soviets took advantage of the sensitivity that had developed in the West after (ironically) the racist persecution of Jews by the Nazis, and of the general recognition of the evils of the Western colonial empires. At the same time in America, people began to comprehend the horrors of slavery, Jim Crow, and the genocide of Native Americans. The struggle of the Jews for self-determination in their historic homeland was perversely portrayed as racism, colonialism, and now even genocide. The Palestinian Arabs, who were in fact invaders and migrants, were portrayed as an oppressed and colonized indigenous people. This inversion of reality, this “big lie,” was fed with a constant tsunami of propaganda that overwhelmed anemic Israeli attempts to refute or counteract it. The lies have always gone halfway around the world before the truth got its pants on.
Since the fall of the USSR, the campaign has been taken up by the Arabs, Iranians, and international Left who see Israel as an outpost of the hated USA.
The anti-Israel campaign has been disingenuously claimed to be “only anti-Zionist” and not anti-Jewish. But underneath the surface the message has been transmitted clearly and distinctly, and has triggered the closeted anti-Jewish hatreds that have been around at least since the year zero. It is not possible today to go back and undo this.
The way anti-Israel and anti-Jewish propaganda has been deployed in support of the desired genocide of the Jewish people (nothing less) is a triumph of social engineering. Its effectiveness is shown by the combination of murder and defamation that characterized 7 October.
The Paradox of Holocaust Education
In planning a response to anti-Jewish propaganda it’s necessary to consider the attempts to attack the anti-Jewish memes – the prejudices, stereotypes, conspiracy theories, and so on – that were supposed to have caused the Holocaust. One response has been to educate people by presenting the historical facts. Any normal person who knew the true dimensions of the horror perpetrated by the Nazis would reject the patterns of thought that were behind it and shun anyone trying to promulgate them, it was reasoned.
Much money and resources have gone into the building of museums, the development of curricula and materials, and the hiring of experts. And yet this enterprise has failed. It has been met with denial. It has aroused resentment, as Jews are accused of trying to “monopolize oppression,” or of using their own experience as an excuse to persecute others (sometimes at the same time as the Jewish experience is denied). Perversely, the very horror of the Holocaust is titillating to Jew-haters who often admire Hitler, collect Nazi regalia, and so on. Extreme Jew-haters see the Holocaust as something to be repeated rather than condemned.
The Paradox of Sympathy
This gives us a clue to the more general problem of defamation of Israel and Jews. As Jonathan Haidt argues persuasively, humans are primarily motivated by their emotions, even when they believe that they are making decisions on a rational basis. The “reasoning” is really after-the-fact rationalization of choices driven by their feelings. These feelings are often below the surface of consciousness, but they are dominant in a person’s decision-making.
These emotional responses have developed in humans after millennia of biological and cultural evolution. They vary to some extent between cultures (which leads to interesting questions about conflicts between Western and non-Western cultures), but there are also aspects that are universal. One of these is sympathy for an injured person. Paradoxically, there is also an opposite emotion of revulsion. The impulse to despise, to expel, or to flee from a defective or persecuted individual tends to favor survival of an individual or a culture, and so it is strengthened by evolution. We see this tendency among children where a bully that attacks a weak or “different” child is often joined by others.
Thus when a group is mass-murdered, along with sympathy for the victims there is also a tendency to side with the murderers. There is a feeling of safety in the face of horror that comes from the knowledge that one is set apart from the victims, that one is on the other side.
The Paradox of Strength
Another evolutionary trait is an attraction to the stronger side in any conflict. Everybody loves a winner, or as Osama bin Laden said, the “strong horse.” It’s also true that people despise a loser. And before a contest is decided, people choose whom to support based on the perceived strength of each opponent.
Yet in Western cultures people think this feeling should be suppressed. There is a belief that rational considerations and morality should override brute strength in determining the outcome of a confrontation, which results in conflicting emotions (this is one of the reasons they do so poorly when negotiating with Middle Easterners, who see “rational” willingness to compromise as weakness). Strength and honor are of primary concern in the Middle East, but even toward the West, we gain allies by demonstrating strength.
How to Win the Information War
What are the practical lessons for Israel in all this? How can she use the consequences of human and societal evolution to help her overcome the massive propaganda assault, both in the West and in the Middle East? I will offer some suggestions for how she can behave for the best psychological effect. Note that I said “behave,” and not just talk. Actions speak louder than words, especially in the Middle East. And these actions will help bring success in the physical arena as well.
1. Win the War in Gaza
We were humiliated and wounded – from a psychological point of view, critically – on 7 October. We cannot allow Hamas to remain in power and its leaders to remain alive. If we do, we will be marked as victims, in other words, targets. In the Middle East, deterrence comes from honor. If we lose our honor, everything we have is open for the taking.
2. Win the War in the North
Tens of thousands of Israelis have been forced to vacate their homes in fear of bombardment and invasion by Hezbollah. In effect we have allowed our land to become occupied. Again this is a massive loss of honor and must be corrected.
3. Our Lives are More Important Than Theirs
Israel lives in fear of the US and the hostile “international community” of anti-Israel NGOs and institutions, and goes to extreme lengths to warn civilians before attacking military targets, and to allow humanitarian aid to be provided to enemy populations. These policies have made it possible for Egypt to refuse to accept refugees from Gaza, and for Hamas to prolong the conflict, arguably resulting in more civilian suffering than less. Either way, they signify weakness. Get it over with.
4. Return to an Offensive Strategy
Israeli strategy, as propounded by David Ben Gurion, was to take the war to the enemy, fight on his territory, and finish wars quickly. But since Israel has allowed the US to dominate its military policy, she has moved to adopting a defensive posture. Huge amounts of money are spent on weapons like Iron Dome to bat away enemy rockets. This is economically unsustainable, since offensive weapons are much cheaper. It invites the enemy to learn lessons and try again. And from a psychological standpoint, it normalizes shooting at Jews. How can we permit that to become acceptable?
5. Responses Should Always be Disproportionate
Israel’s response should always be several times stronger than our enemies’ provocations. The fact that we responded to an attack from Iran by hundreds of missiles and drones by bombing a radar station was embarrassing, even if it was a demonstration of our capabilities. We may wish to demonstrate capabilities, but we must also demonstrate the will to fight. Deterrence means making them afraid to attack us. Power means hitting back at bullies, not trying to push them away or running from them.
6. Treat the Conflict as Zero-Sum (it is)
Do not look for win-win situations; there aren’t any. Either the Land of Israel will be ruled and populated by Jews, or by Arabs. Americans love the idea that Hamas or the PLO can put aside their desire to destroy Israel if only given an opportunity to develop a prosperous state. Nothing could be more wrong. This is a tribal conflict over land, and tribalism is another evolutionary “built-in.” When Israel goes along with these fantasies, she broadcasts weakness.
7. Get Revenge When Appropriate
Implement the death penalty for terrorist murder. This has the practical benefit of removing a motive for hostage-taking. The modern position is that revenge is atavistic and wrong. But it satisfies a deep need as well as sending a necessary message.
Conclusion
Acting according to the post-WWII Western conception of moral national behavior exposes Israel to depredations by its enemies who do not care about Western morality. At the same time, the climate of opinion that has developed over decades is such that the mechanisms and institutions that might protect a Western state don’t apply to Israel. She has little to lose by changing her behavior to become more aggressive, and aspiring to respect and even fear. Overall this will improve her potential to gain allies and deter enemies.
For example if these ruling tops had reached firm policy TO DESTROY HAMAS IN 2018 AND CARRIED THAT OUT
Really you are abusing dialogue
I am extracting info best as I can about this one occasion of pivotal importance
Deal with it first
Then move on after that but not before
First language
To reflect reality such as Jewish patriots
As described in the articles I read about 2018 it was very pivotal
Do I have to elaborate?
As Steven said this was Bibi trusting the IDF tops and Bibi leading towards the October 7 Pogroms
It was a qualitative point
All this in my much repeated position of defending Netanyahu against traitors
Vivarto-
Checking in the Torah in Deuteronomy I find that G-D actually said “I chose you from all the nations”, and in another place mentions the smallest of the nations.
The actual word used was “Bachar”=”choose”, not Bachur.(young man)
But it is made clear elsewhere that the choice was to be G-Ds personal possession, to bring “Light unto the Gentiles”
@Felix
2018 was easily not the first occasion, and I don’t dispute your statement that it was a mistake, just as you will likely agree that this wasn’t the only mistake made by Bibi over the years either. But the political reality about the players, including Lieberman, paints them as culpable and complicit in the missed opportunities over the years. I didn’t even mention that it was Lieberman’s obstructionist actions in the election which came a few months after Lieberman’s resignation which kept Bibi and Trump from making even greater strides than they did, as Trump was waiting for Bibi to form a new govt, which actually, thanks to Lieberman’s actions, never came.
That is fine. You can call them the Pimples and the Tom Cats for all I care. The reality is that Bennett, Shaked, and Elkin betrayed their voters when they formed their pro-Arab govt. Certainly, you are not disputing this…or are you?
@Felix
2018 was easily not the first occaision, and I don’t dispute your statement that it was a mistake. But the political reality about the players, including Lieberman, paints them as culpable and complicit in the missed opportunities over the years. I didn’t even mention that it was Lieberman’s obstructionist actions in the election which came a few months after Lieberman’s resignation which kept Bibi and Trump from making even greater strides than they did, as Trump was waiting for Bibi to form a new govt, which actually, thanks to Lieberman’s actions, never came.
That is fine. You can call them the Pimples and the Tom Cats for all I care. The reality is that Bennett, Shaked, and Elkin betrayed their voters when they formed their pro-Arab govt. Certainly, you are not disputing this…or are you?
Peloni
Bibi made a big mistake and Lieberman was totally correct in 2018
That was a qualitative point
I am not enamoured with terms right wing, leftist
I discovered long ago they mean nothing at all.
Bibi did enormous damage in 2018
Lieberman was right.
A pivotal moment was the first moment in this.
VIVARTO-
This is by far the most misunderstood few words in the Torah.
The “Chosen” did not mean “netter than you” but chosen for the burden of bringing LIGHT to the Pagan, ignorant cruel world.
A very heavy burden as our horrible history shows.
Even the Hebrew Bachur does not mean “Chosen” in any superior sence, just “first born”.
@stevenl
@Felix
Much has changed with the election of a Right wing govt in late 2023 and even more so since October 7, but let us not forget to recognize that a Right wing govt should have been formed back in 2021 when Bennett, Shaked, Lieberman and Elkin instead chose to support the formation of a pro-Arab govt instead of a Right wing govt.
Recall that all four of these ministers who objected so strongly in 2018 to a ceasefire with Hamas supported the ceasefire following the 2021 May War of Riots and Rockets after Israeli Arabs coordinated with Hamas, but they were each personally instrumental in forming the 2021 Israeli govt which rewarded the Israeli Arabs by making Abbas part of the govt, paying the Arabs an historically huge govt stipend, while also ceding part of the Negev to the Bedouin while reestablishing the transfer of concrete and funds to Hamas which they objected to supporting in 2019.
Notably, it was also under Bennett’s pro-Arab govt which the policy of monitoring of handsets which were used by Hamas was ended under US pressure, and it was under this govt that Hamas is reported to have begun to coordinate with Hezbollah and Iran in planning the October 7 slaughter.
Furthermore, it was Bibi who pushed the IDF to attack Iran in 2010 and again in 2011, while being blocked by members of his own governing coalition, the IDF brass, the Shin Bet, Military Intelligence and the opposition leaders. Notably, only the Chief of Staff supported Bibi by acknowledging that attacking Iran was feasible, which would have prevented Iran from becoming what it has become over the past decade.
This was the old conception, where the US held an undue influence over Israel’s leadership and which held that existential threats must be managed in the absence of political and electoral support for doing otherwise.. It wasn’t impossible for Israel to have dealt with the Iranian (which includes Hamas) problem, but the electorate failed to empower the Right until 2021, and in 2021, Bennett, Shaked, Lieberman and Elkin betrayed the will of the voters (really just Bennett and Shaked and Elkin as by 2021 a vote for Lieberman was clearly not a vote for a Right wing govt).
Stevenl
You have defined democracy well.
Also explained that Bibi had his chance and should not have chosen to back the weird idea that hamas could be trusted back in Nov 2018
Quite a find.
Felix Quigley:
In Nov 2018, Bibi followed the advises of IDF and Intel and agreed to a cease-fire with Hamas after Hamas launched > 400 rockets in IL.
Four ministers objected (Elkind, Shaked, Bennett and Liberman who quit the Gov).
Oct 7, 2023, Bibi again followed IDF and Intel advises, while under the pressure of the US, the IL left, promised to boycott Bibi Gov (who planned to reform the judiciary, long overdue, for a real democracy cannot be under the control of an UNELECTED group of judges!). Something that A. Dershowitz was not fully aware of and learned from E. Kontorovich, Prof. of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School (Arlington, VA)
And here we are.
The elimination of the death sentence, no matter what, in the Western world removes a deterrence for hostage taking. This allows automatic extortion.
Adam Dalgliesh:
“The chosen people” is a substitute for a set of fundamental Ethical principles (“an ideology”) announced in the “Ten C”!
Ideologies may be very threatening! The “Ten C” are threatening to no one. But they are a threat to many other domineering ideologies.
If everybody was respecting most of the Ten C, the world would be a better place to be.
Ted and Peloni, please fish my latest post replying to Vivarto about the popular misconceptions about the :chosen people” ides found in some passages of the Bible out of electronic oblivion and print it in this space. I just posted it a few seconds ago, but it disappeared immediately. I think it is worth reading, as misconceptions about the doctrine of the “chosen people” have done anormous damage to Jews over the years, and some Israpundit readers may find my explanation interesting..
@Vivarto: Over the past 250 years or so, many Jews have renounced any claim to be the ‘chosen people.” For example, Jewish socialists, communists and anarchists. For many years, the Reform movement renounced any claim to even the existence of a Jewish people, let alone a ‘chosen” one. Very few Jews have publicly or even privately asserted Jewish ‘chosenness.” However, neither Jews nor non-Jews could make disappear those passages in the Bible that speak of the Jews as “people that though hast chosen” to be the people whom God has loved in some special way “above all the peoples of the earth,” The Jewish scriptures, if read carefully, do not promise the Jews that they will rule the world or rule over all the other peoples of the earth. Actually the scriptures only promise them that they alone have been given the honor the recipients, or at least the first recipients, of God’s holy “Teaching” and “Torah,” and that the laws and statutes that are a part of this divine “Teaching” will be a model for just laws and legal codes of all the nations of the earth. Also, that the ancient kingdom of Israel will be a ‘city set on a hil,” a model of a just and virtuous society, and therefore a model to be emulated by all the other nations of the world.
To me, if not to many others, the authors of this Teaching whether it was solely written by Moses or a compilation of writings by later authors, as many recent scholars believe, was designed to raise the morale of the ancient Jews (or Judeans), not to threaten other peoples or to order the Jews to conquer the world. I think it was intended tor aise the morale of the ancient Jews, and perhaps the other tribes of the ancient “Twelve Tribes” federation, which may have been damaged by hundreds of years living in some kind of bondage or discriminated-against minority status in Egypt, and to give them the confidence that they were capable of governing themselves and creating an independent state.
But antisemites have always believed that the phrase chosen people” or similar such phrases mean that Jews are intent on ruling the world and oppressing and exploiting the other peoples. And some antisemites believe that Jews actually do rule the world, and that poverty exists in the world because the Jewish rulers ‘suck the blood” out of all the other peoples, exploiting them and somehow getting possession of all their wealth. Some Jewish and non-Jewish authors have written books attempting to explain that these are all false myths and legends. B uthe antisemites have never accepted these explanations and fact-checking. Although they rarely admitted, nearly all antisemites believe it has true that God has chosen the Jewish people to be hiis favorite people, and they are bitterly jealous that God has not chosen their people instead.
Vivarto, I feel awkward that I have had to write a whole essay to reply to your one sentence. But for some reason a false idea or misconception can be stated in one sentence, while it takes a whole book, or at least a long article, to refute it and show how and why it is false.
No 6
. Treat the Conflict as Zero-Sum (it is)
He continues…
Do not look for win-win situations; there aren’t any. Either the Land of Israel will be ruled and populated by Jews, or by Arabs. Americans love the idea that Hamas or the PLO can put aside their desire to destroy Israel if only given an opportunity to develop a prosperous state. Nothing could be more wrong. This is a tribal conflict over land, and tribalism is another evolutionary “built-in.” When Israel goes along with these fantasies, she broadcasts weak
He talks about this being a tribal conflict over land
He’s fond of projecting he’s a big guy. The big wise Zionist guy.
He’s a big fan of Bibi
But Netanyahu is not so hot as a leader, and deficient in substance.
He talked big when he went to Congress and those corrupt bastards cheered.
But it doesn’t need all the fuss. Just to say Palestine area was to be the Jewish state, needed very badly, but Britain stole four fifthts, what was left the Jews was one fifth.
If Arabs oppose that and are voicing any kind of begrudging the Jews that little…get the hell out.
If Arabs love Jews really love Jews then so welcome brothers.
How easy is that?
Netanyahu cannot and will not lead there
The Jews are a persecuted people. Netanyahu et al a bosses leadership
We need a different kind of leadership.
@Vivarto
What do you mean (not that we have a choice in the matter anyway…)
If we want to stop being hated, we must stop being “Chosen People”.