An analysis of hasbara 2.0 narratives and messages during the 2014 and 2021 attacks on Gaza

Abstract

Israel’s international image is negatively declining as a result of the state’s human rights violations and war crimes against the Palestinian people. During the attacks on Gaza in 2014 and 2021, Israel received a backlash and criticism from the international public opinion. This dissertation identifies and analyses Israel’s public diplomacy “hasbara” strategies and messages to the international public that aims to improve Israel’s international image and deflect from its human rights violations and war crimes during the 2014 and 2021 attacks on Gaza and examines any differences to hasbara’s narratives in 2014 and 2021. The dissertation focuses on the digital public diplomacy of Israel or what is referred to as hasbara 2.0 by using framing analysis and qualitative content analysis to analyse the data conducted by Israeli officials’ and hasbara volunteers’ accounts on digital media platforms during the 2014 and 2021 attacks on Gaza. The dissertation finds that the frames and messages in 2014 are similar to the frames and messages in 2021. However, some messages and frames were more relevant in a certain time frame than the other. Hasbara 2.0 seems to use similar framings repetitively. These frames include hasbara’s 2.0 main messages to the international public: Israel is the only progressive and democratic country in the region, Hamas and all Palestinian armed organisations are terrorist organisations and Israel has the right to defend itself against them, Israel is not the enemy of Arab countries, Iran is, and Arabs must unite with Israel to defeat this enemy, the Israeli government want to achieve coexistence with the Palestinian people and it's the Palestinian people choice to make peace and anti zionism is antisemitism, any criticism of Israel or anti Israel rhetoric is antisemitic. These frames and messages are tools to influence and shape the international public opinion to perceive Israel positively and deflect from its human rights violations and war crimes.