A Subtle Undercurrent in the Real War
The following article, titled "Israeli 'hackers' target Hezbollah TV," appeared in yesterday's Aljazeera:
A series of pictures and statements, apparently from Israeli-backed hackers, have appeared on Lebanon's Hezbollah-run television station, some showing pictures of corpses and others labelling the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as a liar.
One of the images shown on al-Manar television portrayed the body of a fighter lying face-down, wearing khaki trousers with a text in Arabic beneath: "This is the photograph of a body of a member of Hezbollah's special forces."
"Nasrallah lies: it is not us that is hiding our losses," continued the text, which appeared during the evening news and stayed on screen for several minutes.
A photograph of Nasrallah himself also appeared with the legend: "member of Hezbollah: watch out."
Another photograph of corpses was framed by the words: "there are a large number of corpses like this on the ground and Nasrallah is hiding this truth."Psychological war Israel also recently hacked into FM radio stations and instead of normal programmes a two-minute recording was repeatedly broadcast.
"Hassan sent men to fight the Israeli army, an army of steel, without preparing them. Stop listening to patriotic hymns for a moment, reflect and bring your feet back to the ground," said the Arabic message.
Israel has reportedly used a variety of technological weapons to add a psychological dimension to its war in Lebanon.
Lebanese mobile phone users have also received text and voice messages saying the Israeli offensive was aimed against Hezbollah and not the Lebanese people.
There are many undercurrents in the ongoing struggle between Jihadists and the rest of us. But the propaganda war is, perhaps, the most important. In some cases, as in the article above, the methodology is direct and the message clear. In other cases, the message is subtle. For example, the constant comparison of civilian casualties in the struggle between Israel and Lebanon ("dozens" of Israelis, "hundreds" of Lebanese) paints a grim image of murderous Israelis who are more than willing to commit genocide. To the ill-educated masses, this is a clear picture and they will condemn Israel -- despite the following facts (much less advertised!): 1. Having been under constant attack since the creation of their nation in 1947, the Israeli people are accustomed to seeking cover in the private and state-built shelters that dot the landscape. Living in constant fear of attack from artillery, bombers, missiles and suicide-bombers instills survival traits such as "move fast and duck." 2. The IDF does not cower behind its civilian population, as does those stalwarts of Jihadism in Hezbollah and Hamas. And finally, 3., it is the Jihadists who have called time and time again for genocide: the eradication of Israel and its people.
Propaganda can also be involuntary. Take, for example, that epic hero of the big screen, Mel Gibson, who recently rediscovered the old saying: In vino veritas. All of a sudden, an icon stands accused of (dare I put the words in print?) "anti-Semitism." The media, quick on the uptake as ever when a buck from sponsors is to be earned, flashes this across screen and paper hour after hour. Eventually, it even makes its way to The Daily Show, where many Americans apparently get their news of the day.
Now, my generation (and those that followed) began its training in abhorence for that particular phrase in elementary school, if not from parents who discovered the horror of German death camps in 1945. We may have forgotten it across the years, but seeing/hearing the words over and over and over again reminds us of the long persecution of the Jewish people before the United Nations gave them a refuge in Palestine. The result: a subtle shift in support of Israel. It may not last, of course, as dear old Mel becomes last week's piece of Hollywood idiocy, BUT it may buy a little more time for Israel to further punish Hezbollah before Washington caves to popular pressure and supports an immediate ceasefire.
And the Real War continues. -- W. Dudley for M. Palmer
A series of pictures and statements, apparently from Israeli-backed hackers, have appeared on Lebanon's Hezbollah-run television station, some showing pictures of corpses and others labelling the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as a liar.
One of the images shown on al-Manar television portrayed the body of a fighter lying face-down, wearing khaki trousers with a text in Arabic beneath: "This is the photograph of a body of a member of Hezbollah's special forces."
"Nasrallah lies: it is not us that is hiding our losses," continued the text, which appeared during the evening news and stayed on screen for several minutes.
A photograph of Nasrallah himself also appeared with the legend: "member of Hezbollah: watch out."
Another photograph of corpses was framed by the words: "there are a large number of corpses like this on the ground and Nasrallah is hiding this truth."Psychological war Israel also recently hacked into FM radio stations and instead of normal programmes a two-minute recording was repeatedly broadcast.
"Hassan sent men to fight the Israeli army, an army of steel, without preparing them. Stop listening to patriotic hymns for a moment, reflect and bring your feet back to the ground," said the Arabic message.
Israel has reportedly used a variety of technological weapons to add a psychological dimension to its war in Lebanon.
Lebanese mobile phone users have also received text and voice messages saying the Israeli offensive was aimed against Hezbollah and not the Lebanese people.
There are many undercurrents in the ongoing struggle between Jihadists and the rest of us. But the propaganda war is, perhaps, the most important. In some cases, as in the article above, the methodology is direct and the message clear. In other cases, the message is subtle. For example, the constant comparison of civilian casualties in the struggle between Israel and Lebanon ("dozens" of Israelis, "hundreds" of Lebanese) paints a grim image of murderous Israelis who are more than willing to commit genocide. To the ill-educated masses, this is a clear picture and they will condemn Israel -- despite the following facts (much less advertised!): 1. Having been under constant attack since the creation of their nation in 1947, the Israeli people are accustomed to seeking cover in the private and state-built shelters that dot the landscape. Living in constant fear of attack from artillery, bombers, missiles and suicide-bombers instills survival traits such as "move fast and duck." 2. The IDF does not cower behind its civilian population, as does those stalwarts of Jihadism in Hezbollah and Hamas. And finally, 3., it is the Jihadists who have called time and time again for genocide: the eradication of Israel and its people.
Propaganda can also be involuntary. Take, for example, that epic hero of the big screen, Mel Gibson, who recently rediscovered the old saying: In vino veritas. All of a sudden, an icon stands accused of (dare I put the words in print?) "anti-Semitism." The media, quick on the uptake as ever when a buck from sponsors is to be earned, flashes this across screen and paper hour after hour. Eventually, it even makes its way to The Daily Show, where many Americans apparently get their news of the day.
Now, my generation (and those that followed) began its training in abhorence for that particular phrase in elementary school, if not from parents who discovered the horror of German death camps in 1945. We may have forgotten it across the years, but seeing/hearing the words over and over and over again reminds us of the long persecution of the Jewish people before the United Nations gave them a refuge in Palestine. The result: a subtle shift in support of Israel. It may not last, of course, as dear old Mel becomes last week's piece of Hollywood idiocy, BUT it may buy a little more time for Israel to further punish Hezbollah before Washington caves to popular pressure and supports an immediate ceasefire.
And the Real War continues. -- W. Dudley for M. Palmer
