Doc's Talk: Information Campaigns (Hasbara): Not a Quick Fix

Monday, June 07, 2010

Information Campaigns (Hasbara): Not a Quick Fix

Yisrael Ne'eman
Mideast on Target

Although Israel has quite a few enemies, the whole world is not against us and there are plenty of people and governments willing to listen to reason. If Israel does not present its case in a long running, consistent and coherent manner "proofs" afterwards will be of little use. Within the first hour or so of a clash impressions are formed and public opinion solidifies in taking sides. After the Turkish flotilla disaster everyone is talking and writing about Israel's "hasbara" failure but no one is confronting the essence and depth of the debacle. For an information campaign to work it must be built on previous knowledge, in this case "know thy enemy". Today we speak of the Muslim Brotherhood, its Palestinian wing Hamas and the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood "aid" organization the IHH. Over the past twenty years or so Israel for whatever reason (political correctness?), neglected to define Hamas for world leaders, the media and the international community.

Step one is to define Hamas using its own words. The Hamas "motto" is contained in Article 8 of its charter: "Allah is its goal; the messenger is its leader. The Koran is its constitution. Jihad is its methodology, and death for the sake of Allah is its most sacred desire."

Article 2: "Hamas is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood chapter in Palestine."

Article 7: "The Final Hour will not come until Muslims fight against the Jews and the Muslims kill them, and until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, and a stone or tree or tree would way: O Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!"

Article 13: "The initiatives, what is called a 'peaceful solution' and 'international conferences' to resolve the Palestinian problem, are contrary to the ideology of the Hamas, because giving up any part of Palestine is like giving up part of religion."

And: "There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except for Jihad."

*** Summary: Hamas advocates Jihad (Holy War), rejects all possible compromise in the Palestinian arena and demands the slaughter of Jews. These actions are condoned through Koranic legal dictate in the name of Allah for whom Hamas members sacrifice themselves as a matter of "sacred desire". By extension homicide-suicide bombers are desirable.

More concise or in a sound byte: Hamas = World Jihad, deadly antisemitism, death for Allah.

And just to emphasize extermination doctrine towards Jews and Israel we have the leading Muslim Brotherhood theologian the Egyptian Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi in a speech made on Jan. 30, 2009 (from Wikipedia and Memri):

Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon them [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them – even though they exaggerated this issue – managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers.

We also have Qaradawi several years earlier urging suicide-homicide bombers as the best weapon to use against Israeli society in totality. By extension this means killing children and pregnant women since he determines that "the Zionist entity" is one large army.

The Turkish IHH is an avid supporter of Hamas and has been suspected of Islamic terrorist connections by the Turkish government itself in 1997 and by Danish, French, USA and Israeli authorities. Not allowing their cargo to be inspected and routed through Ashdod on the way to Gaza makes them accomplices to Hamas activities.

Points 4 and 5: Hamas is anti-PLO (Art. 27) and battles Palestinian secular nationalism, demands that Jews and Christians who survive after the Jihad must live under discriminatory dhimma statutes (Art. 31).

Point 6: More recently Hamas proved itself anti-democratic. They may have won a four year term in the January 2006 parliamentary elections but they overthrew the quasi-state Palestinian Authority regime (June 2007) in which they had a leading role. They could not countenance the thought of holding "elected" office, using military force they destroyed the PA democratic apparatus and banned elections. Hamas rule in Gaza is an Islamic dictatorship.

Does anyone believe the press and public at large will not remember these six points should Israel make a concerted effort to repeat them every time Hamas is mentioned?

With the essential factual background established over the past two decades one can turn to the specific aspects of the flotilla. All suspicions of IHH links with extremist groups needed to be aired publicly the moment they began organizing their mission. The other aid group known as the "Free Gaza" movement is said to be peaceful and humanitarian. Israel would test both groups by establishing a special warehouse in Ashdod port for aid going to Gaza.

In a ten minute video clip prepared for the press the warehouse would be draped with a large banner entitled "Humanitarian Aid". The cameras would scan the inside showing not only storage facilities but machines to help in detecting weapons and ammunition. A narrator would survey the temporary living quarters for the detoured passengers emphasizing that any delay would be short. Once the equipment and supplies were checked all legitimate donations would be loaded onto waiting trucks. The ship's passengers would then board buses and be driven with the trucks to the Erez Crossing (where 4,000 Palestinian jobs existed and 15,000 more Palestinians would cross to work in Israel until Hamas terrorist attacks put all 19,000 out of business six years ago) where all would be dropped off. Since everyone wanted to go to Gaza, there is no reason Israel should send anyone to the airport. Looking back at the past and in anticipation of the future such a clip could have been distributed a month ago.

Good hasbara begins with simple facts made public about your opponent and an explanation as to why one is in an adversarial relationship. This is done over an extended period of time (in this case decades) so the message is absorbed. In this specific case of using "humanitarian aid" as a weapon against Israel the government had to separate those who truly want to give aid from those who do not. Well in advance the world would know that anyone with honest intentions to give aid to the Palestinians could do so through Ashdod port or even as Egypt has suggested, through their Sinai port of El Arish.

For Israel winning the hasbara battle is primarily to implant the truth about Hamas in everyone's mind. Secondly one must show the peaceful way out of any possible conflict. Third, should a conflict arise in any case Israel will be able to prove it did its best to avoid a confrontation. And fourth, time is of the essence – as soon as a conflictual situation arises Israeli spokespeople must be on hand to repeat all the previous messages and then to confront the issue at hand. This way world public opinion will be much responsive to the overall truth and not to Hamas distortions.

And finally one very up to date fact: Hamas refuses to receive the humanitarian aid now stored by Israel after the Marmara incident, including the latest supplies arriving from the Rachel Corry ship taken to Ashdod on Saturday. So who is blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza? "Aid" ships are being sent – but to what purpose?

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

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