<\/p>\n
Fact or Fiction: The propaganda war won\u2019t stop, even during a truce | Israel-Palestine conflict<\/p>\n
After weeks of discussions on a \u201chumanitarian pause\u201d, there is finally a tenuous truce in place.<\/p>\n
This has been a long road, largely because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a never-ending war \u2014 in part to defer his ongoing domestic political and legal woes, and in part because he claims to want to pursue the almost impossible task of eliminating Hamas.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Hamas know their only hope for being perceived as victorious \u2014 however pyrrhic any such \u201cwin\u201d might be \u2014 is to secure an indefinite ceasefire.<\/p>\n
With that scenario unlikely, they must also maintain a narrative of escalation, and use rhetoric to ensure that their regional allies remain primed and ready.<\/p>\n
Cue the rise of anti-diplomacy, which international security studies scholar James Der Derian\u00a0characterises as a form of \u201cwar by other means\u201d. It encompasses practices that effectively perpetrate a form of violence against the traditional process of diplomatic mediation and reconciliation.<\/p>\n
Part of this anti-diplomacy is an increase in attacks on those advocating mediation, reconciliation and peace \u2013 often involving disinformation and propaganda.\u00a0These attacks are multifaceted, occurring domestically, regionally and internationally.<\/p>\n
On November 23, the Israel account on X, run by the country\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, posted an<\/a> edited video showing an Israeli soldier purportedly navigating a Hamas tunnel near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza \u2014 adding to a growing set of such videos. Intriguingly, the video references Qatar three times, specifically pointing out the tunnel\u2019s proximity to the \u201cQatari compound\u201d and the \u201cQatari building\u201d.<\/p>\n The phrase \u201cQatari building\u201d in the context of al-Shifa has only ever been used since November 16, with the earliest mention appearing to emanate from a video posted<\/a> by the Israeli army. Usually, the Qatari building refers to the \u201cQatar Reconstruction HQ\u201d, which lies 3km (1.9 miles) away.<\/p>\n The use of such language is no coincidence. With propaganda, nothing happens by accident. Word choices \u2014 especially the mention of particular countries or people, are carefully selected to convey certain messages.<\/p>\n In this case, it\u2019s part of a broader attempt to try and link Qatar to Hamas and the Israeli narrative of al-Shifa serving as a command-and-control centre for the armed Palestinian group.<\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n Qatar has been playing a leading role in mediating for peace amid the current war. Its work has been central to the negotiations that have led to the release of captives by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners by Israel, starting Friday.<\/p>\n By trying to undermine the mediator\u2019s credibility, Israel hopes it can pressure Qatar into securing a better deal for itself \u2014 sometimes, even when its efforts are at odds with what the United States, its closest ally, is saying and doing.<\/p>\n In October, for instance, the Israeli army deleted<\/a> a video critical of Qatar following US President Joe Biden\u2019s commendation of Qatar for its mediation efforts, pointing to a tension between US policy and Israel\u2019s internal politics.<\/p>\n In other words, Israel\u2019s attempts at anti-diplomacy have run afoul of the US, which has emphasised its faith in Qatar\u2019s role as a mediator.<\/p>\n There are other examples, too, of anti-diplomacy at work. United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese has been the target<\/a>\u00a0of a smear campaign accusing her of violating the UN\u2019s Code of Conduct.<\/p>\n Albanese, an international law expert and outspoken advocate of peace, publicly\u00a0refuted\u00a0<\/a>accusations promoted by pro-Israel propagandists surrounding a trip to Australia, clarifying that the journey was officially funded by the UN as part of its mandate.<\/p>\n Albanese has emerged as one of the most eloquent and credible voices in calling for an end to the war through a ceasefire. Her snappy put-downs of ill-informed questions from journalists have frequently gone viral, earning her a growing social media following. In Australia, one pro-peace protester\u00a0even held up\u00a0<\/a>a placard bearing her picture and the slogan \u201cThe real Albanese\u201d \u2014 in a reference to the country\u2019s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.<\/p>\n For Israel, the end of conflict may also mean the process of accountability beginning. This is why influential diplomatic voices like Albanese\u2019s, calling for peace, are targets of disinformation.<\/p>\n With more than 100,000 followers on X, her reach and social media savvy make her a threat to Israel\u2019s forces of anti-diplomacy. The war on attempts to bridge differences \u2014 diplomacy, in a broader sense \u2014 is playing out on college campuses in the US and Europe, which have become battlegrounds of public opinion. There have been allegations of college protests promoting anti-Semitism and anti-Palestinianism.<\/p>\nGlobal anti-diplomacy<\/h2>\n