Just apologize once for supporting the people who did this, Klatty. Just once. Let us know that you're a decent person.
Israel at war
- Thread starter Butler1000
- Start date
Show me some proof that Israel "destroyed all the bakeries".....
What did they do, Frankie? Send an F-16 to drop a bomb on each corner bakery?.... FFS! It gets dumber and dumber with you.
As well as an atrocity, the October 7 massacre was a media sensation. With the use of $150 GoPros strapped to its terrorist foot soldiers, Hamas thrust its obscenities into almost every news channel, paper and feed in the world. If you wanted to understand the democratisation of broadcasting through a single event, this was it.
In the Israel-Palestine conflict, the disequilibrium of military power is such that the battlefield outcome is predetermined: Israel cannot lose; Hamas cannot win. Beyond a single surprise attack, Hamas cannot fill screens with mass Israeli dead and force Israel to stop. Instead, it proffers its own dead to the world to make global condemnation force Israel to stop.
At the centre of Hamas’s media operation sits Al-Aqsa (literally “furthest mosque”), the name of Hamas’s TV channel, radio station and social media channels (though the latter have mostly been banned). Funded by Hamas’s general budget — which comes from siphoning off aid that comes into the Strip, foreign countries such as Iran and Qatar, and its own tax collecting — it began broadcasting in Gaza in 2006 after Hamas came to power. By the time the terrorist group launched its October 7 attack, Al-Aqsa’s various channels were broadcasting everything from news and drama to children’s entertainment. From its inception, however, all of the network’s content has been informed by a two-pronged strategy.
The first concerns indoctrination in the service of resistance, and has a particular focus on inculcating antisemitism and anti-Israeli activity into children. An instructive example is Tomorrow’s Pioneers, which features Farfour the Mouse, a costumed character with a high-pitched voice who bounds about squeaking joyously, simulating firing AK-47s and throwing hand grenades. “You and I are laying the foundation for a world led by Islamists,” he tells his young viewers. “We will return the Islamic community to its former greatness, and liberate Jerusalem, God willing, liberate Iraq, God willing, and liberate all the countries of the Muslims invaded by the murderers.” In 2007, Farfour’s story arc sadly ended with him being beaten to death by an Israeli interrogator. It was, the show’s producer said, intended to usher in a new direction for the programme.
Al Aqsa has featured a series of music videos aimed at radicalising children. In one, a four-year-old girl is seen singing to her “mother”, identified as “mother Reem” (an apparent reference to Hamas’s first female suicide bomber Reem Riyashi). Later in the video, the woman blows herself up, killing four Israeli soldiers. After her mother carries out the attack, the little girl holds an explosive and sings to the camera: “I am following Mommy in her steps.”
In the Israel-Palestine conflict, the disequilibrium of military power is such that the battlefield outcome is predetermined: Israel cannot lose; Hamas cannot win. Beyond a single surprise attack, Hamas cannot fill screens with mass Israeli dead and force Israel to stop. Instead, it proffers its own dead to the world to make global condemnation force Israel to stop.
At the centre of Hamas’s media operation sits Al-Aqsa (literally “furthest mosque”), the name of Hamas’s TV channel, radio station and social media channels (though the latter have mostly been banned). Funded by Hamas’s general budget — which comes from siphoning off aid that comes into the Strip, foreign countries such as Iran and Qatar, and its own tax collecting — it began broadcasting in Gaza in 2006 after Hamas came to power. By the time the terrorist group launched its October 7 attack, Al-Aqsa’s various channels were broadcasting everything from news and drama to children’s entertainment. From its inception, however, all of the network’s content has been informed by a two-pronged strategy.
The first concerns indoctrination in the service of resistance, and has a particular focus on inculcating antisemitism and anti-Israeli activity into children. An instructive example is Tomorrow’s Pioneers, which features Farfour the Mouse, a costumed character with a high-pitched voice who bounds about squeaking joyously, simulating firing AK-47s and throwing hand grenades. “You and I are laying the foundation for a world led by Islamists,” he tells his young viewers. “We will return the Islamic community to its former greatness, and liberate Jerusalem, God willing, liberate Iraq, God willing, and liberate all the countries of the Muslims invaded by the murderers.” In 2007, Farfour’s story arc sadly ended with him being beaten to death by an Israeli interrogator. It was, the show’s producer said, intended to usher in a new direction for the programme.
Al Aqsa has featured a series of music videos aimed at radicalising children. In one, a four-year-old girl is seen singing to her “mother”, identified as “mother Reem” (an apparent reference to Hamas’s first female suicide bomber Reem Riyashi). Later in the video, the woman blows herself up, killing four Israeli soldiers. After her mother carries out the attack, the little girl holds an explosive and sings to the camera: “I am following Mommy in her steps.”
In 2009, Al-Aqsa published Hamas’s first feature-length film, which celebrated the life and death of an Al-Qassam Brigade militant from the first intifada. The movie encouraged “mosque youth” to act as informants for Hamas-controlled intelligence organisations. Another video segment carried an interview with a son of Umm Nidal, a Gazan whose four sons became suicide bombers. “I ask all Muslim sisters, mothers and daughters and sisters, that the Al Aqsa expects us, the next generation, to fall into line for it, God Willing and Exalted,” he says. “Do not withhold from us the commanders, do not withhold from us the soldiers, and do not withhold from us lovers of martyrdom.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, in 2016, the US State Department named Fathi Hamad, Al-Aqsa TV’s founder and director, a “Specially Designated Terrorist” because the station’s continual airing of “programs designed to recruit children to become Hamas armed fighters and suicide bombers”.
The second prong of Hamas’s media strategy centres on its role as a competent governing force in Gaza, highlighting the various state functions it claims to fulfil. Popular programmes include EayanA alaAldifa (Eyes on the West Bank), which is concerned with the issues of people in West Bank, Ashab al-ard (Landowners), which deals with problems of ordinary Gazans, and Nafidhat Al-khayr (The Goodness Way), which highlights the humanitarian issues and support given by Hamas to families in need.
In recent years, this emphasis has gradually bled over onto its social media channels; a study of Hamas’s X account from 2015 to 2018 found that the group mostly posted about “its internal governance and foreign policy, with the smallest focus on resistance”. And just as on television, all this output is tightly controlled. In 2014, Hamas Interior Ministry offered guidelines to “social media activists” via a video from its official website. “Anyone killed or martyred is to be called a civilian from Gaza or Palestine,” it ordered. “Before we talk about his status in jihad or his military rank, don’t forget to always add ‘innocent civilian’ or ‘innocent citizen’ in your description of those killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.”
It continued: “Begin [your reports of] news of resistance actions with the phrase ‘In response to the cruel Israeli attack”, and conclude with the phrase ‘This many people have been martyred since Israel launched its aggression against Gaza’. Be sure to always perpetuate the principle of ‘the role of the occupation is attack’, and we in Palestine are fulfilling [the role of] the reaction.”
Yet as with so much in the region, this all changed on October 7. That day, Al-Aqsa broadcast footage of burning cars in Israeli towns alongside a video of a group of young Israeli men with arms tied behind their backs. “This picture is your picture, this night is your night, this flood is your flood, and this blessed action is for all of you,” the anchor declared triumphantly. The programme then cut to a message from the deputy chief of Hamas’s political bureau Saleh al-Arouri, who called for an uprising in the West Bank: “[The IDF] won’t be able to attend to confrontations on other fronts,” he promised.
The second prong of Hamas’s media strategy centres on its role as a competent governing force in Gaza, highlighting the various state functions it claims to fulfil. Popular programmes include EayanA alaAldifa (Eyes on the West Bank), which is concerned with the issues of people in West Bank, Ashab al-ard (Landowners), which deals with problems of ordinary Gazans, and Nafidhat Al-khayr (The Goodness Way), which highlights the humanitarian issues and support given by Hamas to families in need.
In recent years, this emphasis has gradually bled over onto its social media channels; a study of Hamas’s X account from 2015 to 2018 found that the group mostly posted about “its internal governance and foreign policy, with the smallest focus on resistance”. And just as on television, all this output is tightly controlled. In 2014, Hamas Interior Ministry offered guidelines to “social media activists” via a video from its official website. “Anyone killed or martyred is to be called a civilian from Gaza or Palestine,” it ordered. “Before we talk about his status in jihad or his military rank, don’t forget to always add ‘innocent civilian’ or ‘innocent citizen’ in your description of those killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.”
It continued: “Begin [your reports of] news of resistance actions with the phrase ‘In response to the cruel Israeli attack”, and conclude with the phrase ‘This many people have been martyred since Israel launched its aggression against Gaza’. Be sure to always perpetuate the principle of ‘the role of the occupation is attack’, and we in Palestine are fulfilling [the role of] the reaction.”
Yet as with so much in the region, this all changed on October 7. That day, Al-Aqsa broadcast footage of burning cars in Israeli towns alongside a video of a group of young Israeli men with arms tied behind their backs. “This picture is your picture, this night is your night, this flood is your flood, and this blessed action is for all of you,” the anchor declared triumphantly. The programme then cut to a message from the deputy chief of Hamas’s political bureau Saleh al-Arouri, who called for an uprising in the West Bank: “[The IDF] won’t be able to attend to confrontations on other fronts,” he promised.
More broadly, though, October 7 represented the moment Hamas’s emphasis shifted from legacy to social media — and, critically, when the main driver of output switched from Hamas itself to its armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades. “Since October 7, the group’s media operations are unsurprisingly dominated by the Al-Qassam Brigades’ media and its spokesman, Abu Obayda,” Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, Fellow of the Middle East Forum, tells me. “This reflects the reality of the war in which it is Hamas’s operatives in Gaza who primarily control the narrative and not its political leaders in exile in Qatar and elsewhere. And, it is, after all, the group’s status as a military ‘resistance’ force that matters most to supporters around the world and observers more generally.”
As far as social media campaigns go, it has undoubtedly been a success. In the days following Hamas’s attack, the group’s Telegram channel tripled in followers, from 340,000 to 1.3 million followers. Prior to the massacre, its average post received 25,000-30,000 views, a figure which increased tenfold to more than 300,000. Similarly, Al-Qassam Brigades’ account grew from 205,000 subscribers on 7 October to 619,000 on 12 October. Both accounts remain active, though they are barred in certain regions, such as the EU, UK, US and Israel.
Also noticeable was the style of their content. In late October, I attended an IDF screening of footage from Hamas’s attack. What struck me was the video-game-like nature of the violence; terrorists ran around shooting civilians as if they were in Grand Theft Auto. In the weeks since, the first-person has remained their favoured style, with much of Al-Qassam’s content designed to portray its troops as elite soldiers.
If this all seems crude, its impact cannot be discounted. On 13 October, Hamas released a video on Telegram that purported to show its terrorists soothing a crying baby; another fighter bandages the foot of an Israeli toddler. This type of footage may not have much purchase in the West, but more than 1.4 million watched it on Al-Jazeera’s Facebook page for Egypt. Former advisor to Palestinian Authority, Ghaith al-Omari, said the videos had convinced many in the Arab world that, unlike Isis, Hamas “are humane and respect Islamic laws of War”.
Such widespread dissemination follows a simple but effective structure. Content begins at the primary level: from official Hamas and Al-Qassam Brigades’ channels and accounts. It then travels to unofficial accounts and supporters (though these are also increasingly becoming banned as social media companies crack down). These accounts typically reshare official content but also generate their own material. Examples include the Gaza Now Facebook account (which had 4.9 million followers before being banned) and Instagram’s @eye.on.palestine (which has 9.6 million and can still be accessed in certain countries).
The third level consists of a range of informal pro-Palestinian groups and channels, including those set up by influencers. This is arguably the most effective level of dissemination as it uses ordinary people — seemingly unaffiliated to Hamas – to tell “authentic” stories of suffering. What emerges is often described as the “true” picture or story from Gaza and is coupled with the popular hashtags — #IsraeliCrimes, #AlAqsa, #FreePalestine, #StandWithPalestine — that allow this sort of content to go globally viral.=
If Israel is overwhelmingly dominant on the ground, it is hopefully outmatched by Hamas and its supporters online. #freepalestine is found on 39 times more Facebook posts than #standwithisrael. On Instagram, pro-Palestinian hashtags are found on 26 times more posts than pro-Israel ones.
This is war fought on two planes; and if Israel is doing its best to level Hamas in Gaza, it is losing badly across the world online. The irony, of course, is that nowhere is Hamas clearer about who it is and what it wants than in its output. As an IDF official told me recently: “if Western audiences actually listened to the interviews given by Hamas officials, the Israeli media effort could just shut down. Hamas makes the case for Israel’s war against them better than any Israeli official ever could.”
As far as social media campaigns go, it has undoubtedly been a success. In the days following Hamas’s attack, the group’s Telegram channel tripled in followers, from 340,000 to 1.3 million followers. Prior to the massacre, its average post received 25,000-30,000 views, a figure which increased tenfold to more than 300,000. Similarly, Al-Qassam Brigades’ account grew from 205,000 subscribers on 7 October to 619,000 on 12 October. Both accounts remain active, though they are barred in certain regions, such as the EU, UK, US and Israel.
Also noticeable was the style of their content. In late October, I attended an IDF screening of footage from Hamas’s attack. What struck me was the video-game-like nature of the violence; terrorists ran around shooting civilians as if they were in Grand Theft Auto. In the weeks since, the first-person has remained their favoured style, with much of Al-Qassam’s content designed to portray its troops as elite soldiers.
If this all seems crude, its impact cannot be discounted. On 13 October, Hamas released a video on Telegram that purported to show its terrorists soothing a crying baby; another fighter bandages the foot of an Israeli toddler. This type of footage may not have much purchase in the West, but more than 1.4 million watched it on Al-Jazeera’s Facebook page for Egypt. Former advisor to Palestinian Authority, Ghaith al-Omari, said the videos had convinced many in the Arab world that, unlike Isis, Hamas “are humane and respect Islamic laws of War”.
Such widespread dissemination follows a simple but effective structure. Content begins at the primary level: from official Hamas and Al-Qassam Brigades’ channels and accounts. It then travels to unofficial accounts and supporters (though these are also increasingly becoming banned as social media companies crack down). These accounts typically reshare official content but also generate their own material. Examples include the Gaza Now Facebook account (which had 4.9 million followers before being banned) and Instagram’s @eye.on.palestine (which has 9.6 million and can still be accessed in certain countries).
The third level consists of a range of informal pro-Palestinian groups and channels, including those set up by influencers. This is arguably the most effective level of dissemination as it uses ordinary people — seemingly unaffiliated to Hamas – to tell “authentic” stories of suffering. What emerges is often described as the “true” picture or story from Gaza and is coupled with the popular hashtags — #IsraeliCrimes, #AlAqsa, #FreePalestine, #StandWithPalestine — that allow this sort of content to go globally viral.=
If Israel is overwhelmingly dominant on the ground, it is hopefully outmatched by Hamas and its supporters online. #freepalestine is found on 39 times more Facebook posts than #standwithisrael. On Instagram, pro-Palestinian hashtags are found on 26 times more posts than pro-Israel ones.
This is war fought on two planes; and if Israel is doing its best to level Hamas in Gaza, it is losing badly across the world online. The irony, of course, is that nowhere is Hamas clearer about who it is and what it wants than in its output. As an IDF official told me recently: “if Western audiences actually listened to the interviews given by Hamas officials, the Israeli media effort could just shut down. Hamas makes the case for Israel’s war against them better than any Israeli official ever could.”
There is no Hamas media operation. The problem is that news still gets out even after Israel killed more journalists than during any previous war.
Remember when the 'truce' was in place? Biden was just afraid that journalists would get in and see what he's done.
There pretty clearly IS a Hamas media operation and media strategy. It would be bizarre if there were not.
And you are "Farfour the Mouse" - the brave, Islamic little rodent who kills Israelis.
Really?
Meanwhile.
Palestinians Claim Social Media 'Censorship' Is Endangering Lives
Alleged censorship of social media and disruptions to electricity and internet access have meant people under fire in Gaza can’t get the information they need to survive.
Palestinian journalist fired from CTV for pro-Palestine activism
Yara Jamal said that she was fired from her job with CTV due to her Palestinian activism.
rabble.ca
Sports reporter in Philadelphia loses job over pro-Palestinian comments
Jackson Frank was let go by PhillyVoice.com after he responded ‘Solidarity with Palestine’ to a 76ers tweet condemning Hamas
www.theguardian.com
New York Times fires Palestinian journalist over pro-resistance social media posts
Hosam Salam claims that the Israeli lobby organization 'Honest Reporting' exists to deliberately sabotage the Palestinian cause in the West
new.thecradle.co
So Farfour,
This is the bio of the guy who just authored the excellent little article I cut and pasted. This guy seems pretty bright and honest - unlike the "authors" you like to quote - Hinkle, BLumenthal and Mate. Why would he make shit up about the Hamas media?
Especially as there clearly IS control of the media in Gaza by the governing authorities. How would there not be?.... All Muslim middle east states are controlled by dictatorships and that involves control of the media.
David Patrikarakos
unherd.com
100% they control what's broadcasted.
They brainwash civilians with propaganda shit
C'mon, Farfour.
You know nothing about the middle east aside from what you learn at meetings of the "Trans Inclusionary Socialist-Feminist Collective for Indigenous Climate Struggle and the Freedom of Palestine".
You know nothing about the actual history of Hamas that isn't woke brain-dribble.
If Hamas cared about the Palestinians they should wave the white flag before there is really nothing left.
I condemn them.
I don't know which quote you are referring to. If you don't want to provide the quote, it proves you're BSing.
I do not support Netanyahu. He's bad for the country. My account of his statement and what occurred is accurate.
It stops the Israeli attack IMMEDIATELY. Nothing is faster. A surrender does nothing to interfere with BDS and negotiations which is what you say is required. Your point is moot.
An inconvenient truth for you.
Another inconvenient truth.
Nice anecdote.
So does a surrender but the surrender is faster, as I've proven and you cannot disprove.
Which need to be negotiated, obviously. Those same negotiations can take place after a surrender and in the exact same time frame. Your point is moot.
Why do you call facts lies. All Israeli citizens, Jewish, Muslim, Palestinian, Christian or otherwise. Have equal rights. Hence, there is no apartheid in the state of Israel.
The truth is that Hamas has broken every ceasefire. They never negotiate in good faith. The leaders of Hamas proudly declare that they will never, under any condition, stop trying to drive the Jews out of Israel.
Yes. Keep denying facts and reality to spin your ridiculous false narrative. The Hamas leaders are billionaires. The money for those 300 miles of tunnels was stolen from aid meant for Gazans. The whole western world knows this.
Lie Lie. Total fabrications. You have no shame.
So, you just stated a fact, that the US dropped 2 bombs on Japan in WWII and the war ended shortly after that, exactly the same as I did. That is recorded history. I stated not one iota more.
YOU, fringie JUST SUGGESTED AND/OR DECLARED THAT ISRAEL SHOULD USE NUCLEAR BOMBS ON GAZA. We both stated the same historical fact. Nothing more, nothing less. I defy you to find a post where I said anything more than that. And because you are so untrustworthy and your lying knows no bounds, provide the post number. I defy you.
I agree.
Oct .7, the day that Hamas launched their terror attack was what prompted Israel's current aggression. How many Palestinian casualties/day were occurring before Oct. 7 and how many casualties/day have there been since? That is the significance of that date.
If you say so. Look at what's happening in Gaza in the meantime. But you don't care at all, because the more Palestinians die the more you can demonize Israel. And that makes you happy.
Sure. What point did I make other than your post was idiotic?
Lying about your lying. At least you stay true to form.
[/QUOTE]
No, I'm just one of the majority of Canadians against apartheid and genocide.
Your article just assumes that any Muslim network is Hamas, the same way squeezer says any protester against Israel is 'pro Hamas'.
Gaza is a giant concentration camp, or it was before it became a death camp. There are 2 million people there but no industry, all imports were controlled and there was only power a few hours a day. Claiming its some kind of massive media network is silly.
Reports are people are now dying from lack of water. None of these stories are hitting the MSM or media here in Canada.
If Hamas was that powerful you'd be hearing this front page every day.
You admit that Israeli settlers commit way more terrorist attacks than Hamas and now finally condemn settler terrorism?
You say you don't support him then you support his statement.
A ceasefire is fastest because both sides must stop killing and there is no opportunity for reprisals.
You are ignorant. Your claims are those of someone going 'lalalalala' with their fingers in their ears.
Read the reports, they cover you claim.
Until then your defence is idiotically clueless of the law and the issues.
Repeating a lie is not an argument.
Repeating a lie is not an argument.
Are you now suggesting two nukes on Gaza?
What a stupid claim. Your hasbara troll lines are idiotic.
There were 233 settler terrorist attacks before oct and 200 deaths, so about 1 Palestinian killed a day. Which still made 2023 the most deadly year for Palestinians in recent years. This is what you think of as peace, 233 terrorist attacks on Palestinians you say you condemn but refuse to acknowledge have any influence on the situation.
Palestine has a 75 year history of abuse at the hands of Isarel.
Only if you accept that you are Ben Gvir.
Ok ben gvir,So Farfour,
This is the bio of the guy who just authored the excellent little article I cut and pasted. This guy seems pretty bright and honest - unlike the "authors" you like to quote - Hinkle, BLumenthal and Mate. Why would he make shit up about the Hamas media?
Especially as there clearly IS control of the media in Gaza by the governing authorities. How would there not be?.... All Muslim middle east states are controlled by dictatorships and that involves control of the media.
David Patrikarakos
I'm sure they had some kind of pirate radio and tv station set up but to claim they have a major media/propaganda wing is nonsense, mandrill.
Do you really think Hamas has a larger global media presence than Israel?
Or are you complaining that they have any presence at all? Is that the real issue, you don't think Palestinians voices should ever be heard?
Is that why you have been supporting Israel killing 92 journalists so far?
You seem to be supporting killing journalists like this.
And also seem to want to hear more Israeli voices like this.
Another in a string of lies.
I do not support settler attacks. I said nothing about quantity. [/QUOTE]
Just because I don't like him means that that every word out of his mouth is a lie. That is your domain.
Totally wrong. A ceasefire needs to be negotiated. That takes time. A Hamas surrender requires ZERO time. And don't worry, Hamas will still have lots of opportunities for reprisals, like every time they break a ceasefire.
You are ignorant. Your claims are those of someone going 'lalalalala' with their fingers in their ears.
Read the reports, they cover you claim.
Until then your defence is idiotically clueless of the law and the issues.[/QUOTE]You are the one denying reality. Lies, denials and insults are all you have when the facts are against you.
You should take heed of your own words.
You should take heed of your own words.
If so, then so are you. We both stated what is history. If you think that's what I said, then that is what you say.
And your terrorist troll lines are anything else?
Thank you for proving how stupid your support of Oct. 7 is. Since then it is 200 per day. Oct. 7 was incredibly stupid and you still support it. What does that make you?
Mostly brought upon themselves.
The Hamas leaders may have missed out on a bagel, lox and schmeer last Sunday brunch. This may be one case of true terrorism.
