Is Hamas winning the online war against Israel? - opinion

Recently, antisemitic, and anti-Israeli hatred has been uncontrollably spread around the world by the simple click of a button. It doesn’t matter how many horrendous photos or horrific testimonies from the atrocities on October 7 are shared either in the international press or posted on social networks. Every antisemitic or anti-Israeli individual who is armed with a keyboard can spread fake news, conspiracy theories, and inciting content, without anyone stopping him (or her).

Even before the outbreak of Hamas’s attack on Israel, we detected a concerning increase of antisemitic and anti-Israeli content posted on social networks, especially on X (formerly known as Twitter) – while Elon Musk kept silent. Antisemitic views and ideas infiltrate everywhere, even under the guise of “legitimate criticism.” This time, however, they spread like wildfire and this raging fire threatens human lives.

It is about time we truly understood this fact: there is another battlefield in this war. An online, global battlefield and we will not be able to win it if we do not acknowledge the dangers it presents. Because just as we cannot lose the war against Hamas, we cannot lose this war either.

Conducting a war on social media

It is difficult to conduct a war on social media while no one is enforcing law and order and the nonexistence of an online “army” is all so prominent. But it isn’t impossible. The internet must be regarded by the State of Israel with the utmost gravity. 

We cannot count on Musk or Zuckerberg to fight for us by constantly removing violent and inciting content and controlling the wild and reckless behavior in social networks. The State of Israel must take care of itself and realize how dangerous and threatening this conduct is to both Israeli citizens and Jews around the world.

In times of emergency, in addition to fighting online antisemitism and hate speech against Israel, there is the need to “explain” (through public diplomacy) Israel’s aims and policies. This is a highly important issue that strengthens both the IDF and the Israeli government in the public arena.

THIS TIME, Hamas, by committing these ISIS-style atrocities, made our public diplomacy mission easier for us. Unfortunately, any credit we gained during the first few days of the war soon started to expire and now Jew-hatred and antisemitism is spreading exponentially among individuals, government leaders, celebrities, and public opinion leaders. 

With no government organization or authority to oversee public diplomacy efforts (the prime minister waited almost a week after the war began before creating such an organization) and no cooperation or coordination between government offices and leading Jewish organizations, our chances of winning the online battle are minuscule.

Therefore, the Israeli government must act now by using its technological capabilities and advantages. It must transfer funds from the failing Subcommittee for Foreign Policy and Public Diplomacy to the organizations and volunteers who are constantly working to monitor antisemitic and hateful content by reporting it to social networks. 

In the long term, the government must create a methodical and organized mechanism to take charge of balancing the discourse among social networks. This mechanism should include several units that would fight antisemitism and the delegitimization of the State of Israel, while promoting public diplomacy in cooperation with civil society.

Without the help and support of hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens and Israel lovers around the world, without the many independent associations and volunteers including FOA (Fighting Online Antisemitism) which recruited more than 35,000 activists, our situation would have been much worse.

It is fair to assume that the next terrorist who tries to murder Jews in a synagogue or a school was influenced by the extreme, inciting content posted on social networks against the Jewish community. 

Therefore, it is about time that those who donate money and resources to our cause also join in our efforts to spread the truth around the world and prevent the spread of lies by pressurizing social networks to remove toxic, antisemitic, and anti-Israel content. Only this way, will Israel truly be able to win this war – the war for its survival. 

The writer is founder and executive director of Fighting Online Antisemitism (FOA).