Dealing with war propaganda
Palestinian "Human Shields"
Whenever there is a new conflict, I always refer to the list of the 10 principles of propaganda that was written by Anne Morelli, in French, under the title “Principes élémentaires de propagande de guerre”, as a basic guide to what you can expect from the media and the public officials until the story runs cold.
1. "We don't want war".
2. "The opposing side is solely responsible for the war".
3. "The enemy has the face of the devil".
4. "It is a noble cause that we defend and not special interests".
5. "The enemy knowingly causes atrocities; we commit mistakes but involuntarily".
6. "The enemy uses unauthorized weapons".
7. "We suffer very few losses, the enemy's losses are enormous".
8. "Artists and intellectuals support our cause".
9. "Our cause is sacred."
10. "Those who question the propaganda are traitors".
During “the fog of war” journalists often pick up propaganda lines of this nature and with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict it is no exception.
For example, the story of “decapitated babies” ran all over the world media, until the journalist who reported on it backtracked on her stance as it became clear that the source was “dubious” at best. Upon released many skeptics were reminded of the World War I line of “babies on bayonets” or the infamous “babies in incubators” testimony that lied America into the first Iraq War. They were proven right that it was bogus, because war propaganda is often classically predictable, because it works best on uninformed audiences.
Propaganda is not necessarily about lying, it also includes deception techniques such as storytelling, repeating talking points, one sided narratives and the denigration of the opponent so that the cause can be justified, while dissenters are often labelled as heretics or traitors.
Another propaganda talking point to highlight is the Israeli claim that Hamas has used human shields. I used to believe this story until I listened to Norman Finkelstein explaining that no reputable independent organisation or journalist has yet confirmed it. I tried to confirm it myself and as expected, the talking point forms part of Israel’s war narrative and has been so successful that the US congress has used it in the past to justify the war crimes that are taking place.
Below is a list of sources to substantiate what he said.
Jeremy Bowen’s Gaza notebook: I saw no evidence of Hamas using Palestinians as human shields
Israel-Gaza conflict: Myth of Hamas’s human shield. Gazans deny being put in line of fire
Congress Utilizes Myth of “Human Shields” to Justify War Crimes
Have ‘Human Shields’ Accusations Become an Excuse for War Crimes?
In fact there is even some evidence to suggest that Israel has used the practice in the past and is therefore turning to the “thief-thief” defense that psychologists call projection.
When analysing war propaganda it is important to acknowledge that both sides engage in it. Both Israel and Palestine are going to try to instigate atrocities, exaggerate events, exploit fears, abuse religion, and manipulate their own publics as they pursue their own war objectives.
Propaganda generally speaking, consists of talking points that are deliberately hypocritical and the opponent is presented as so uncompromising that you have to kill him, because if he had a valid point (at least in the empathetical sense), then you would have to negotiate.
When one narrative spins out of control, then another usually takes root until the war story becomes so untenable that the politicians backtrack.
That is the nature of propaganda and regardless of one’s stance on this war, it’s important to recognise that we are going to be flooded with it during the next few months.
while we may agree on many things energy related - this is not something i agree with nor something i subscribe to your energy related blog to read about
We are all humanitarian shields to agents of the Global Mafia.