Israel's PR battle: How to alter the Hamas war narrative and win hearts - comment

Israel is on the losing end of the public relations battle – again. However, the possibility of a turnaround is within reach.

To emerge victorious, Israel needs to alter its narrative on the conflict with Hamas, according to Frank Luntz, an American political and communications consultant and pollster. 

During a closed briefing this week, he shared the findings of a nationwide poll highlighting the messages that strike a chord with the informed and engaged American audience regarding the conflict – and those that turn people away from Israel.

Here are some of the lessons that we learned:

Israel's PR battle lessons amid its war with Hamas in Gaza

>Israel is at war with Hamas, not the Palestinians. Hamas is a terrorist organization, and the Palestinians are a people. When politicians, like far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, say that Israel needs to deal with Palestinian Authority leaders in the West Bank like it is doing with Hamas terror leaders in Gaza, these messages are used to turn the world against Israel.

>The October 7 massacre was an attack on Israelis, not Israel. Hamas infiltrated our southern border and slaughtered innocent children, women, and men. Luntz said people are more sympathetic when discussing the citizens rather than the country. Humanize it. Personalize it. 

>Instead of calling Hamas terrorists, call them “an army of terror.” This term frightens Americans and also reminds them of what Israel is trying to achieve. 

>Focus on the mission: Destroying Hamas, liberating Gaza, and finding a peaceful alternative. Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Since Hamas took over the southern enclave two years later, tens of thousands of rockets have been fired at innocent Israeli civilians with the aim of murder. 

>At the same time, the Gazans living under Hamas rule are deeply suffering. A 2022 Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) poll found that 62% of Gazans believe “people in the Strip cannot criticize Hamas’s authority without fear.” A separate 2022 PSR poll showed that 73% of Palestinians believe Hamas institutions are corrupt.

>Use graphic descriptions: Women raped, children beheaded, infant hostages. “Remind the world what happened on October 7,” Luntz said. “Make them consider what is happening to Israeli hostages now.”

>Although they are painful, showing images of the bloody and brutal massacre that Hamas perpetrated last month is necessary against the pictures coming out of Gaza. Hamas did not just shoot some people dead. They beheaded babies and maimed women, and they did so with glee – and we have the photos, videos, and voice recordings to prove it. The more graphic, the better, according to Luntz. People must consider how they would feel if this were their child, mother, or father.

>HUMAN SHIELDS only work when weapons are hidden in schools. As IDF forces continue to operate in Gaza, more and more guns and other terrorist-related items have been found in schools and playgrounds. Most recently, on November 17, IDF troops located dozens of mortar shells hidden by Hamas in a kindergarten in the northern Gaza Strip, putting innocent children at risk and violating the principle of education and safety. This image hits the heart. 

>Hamas is the enemy of human beings, human rights, and humanity. Young people, those who poll most against Israel and for Hamas, tend to be at the forefront of standing up for human rights. 

On Human Rights Day in 2020, the United Nations said that “the call for universal respect for human rights and human dignity unified humanity after the Second World War. And it does so again today. At a time of great distress and unprecedented global challenges, people look to human rights as a driver for hope and just measure for decisive action to realize the future we want.”

>This is a war for the future of humanity. This is not the Swords of Iron War. This is not the Israel-Hamas war or the Gaza war. Not only has the conflict sparked global security concerns and fears of potential Islamist extremist attacks, but it stands to put the entire Western value system at risk. 

Israel is not only fighting Hamas. Israel is fighting for the future of Western culture and values, explained MK Sharren Haskel (National Unity Party). “We are preventing an international intifada,” she said. 

In other words, this is a battle of good vs evil. Calling the conflict “a war for the future of humanity” puts this into perspective.

>The war started in Israel, but it won’t end there. “The West is next” is not just a slogan but a premonition – Hamas is a clear and present danger to the United States, Israel, and the entire world. 

>Although Hamas carried out the massacre against Israel on October 7, the terrorist organization is an Iranian proxy. Iran funds more than 90% of Hamas’s budget, according to Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. If Iran perceives success against Israel, this could embolden the country to execute further attacks worldwide. 

Luntz also named “visual rules” of the Hamas war, such as showing the stark, graphic reality of Hamas – body bags and blood; highlighting the terror (not the terrorists); personalizing the pain so people can see themselves in the photos; portraying children; and presenting side-by-side comparisons between Hamas and Israeli actions. 

According to Luntz, Israel’s second battlefront is on social networks, where 58% of those who post on the Internet daily support Hamas’s actions, meaning that they believe Hamas was justified in attacking Israel. Women aged 18-49, and Democrats aged 18-49, tend to be more supportive of Hamas than the rest of the population, Luntz showed. 

“Not only is the pro-Israel community smaller, but the pro-Hamas community is deeply and emotionally engaged, and they are eating us for lunch because of it,” Luntz stressed. 

It’s time to articulate the atrocities we’ve endured unequivocally and to be unapologetic in expressing why we must take decisive action. 

The writer is the deputy CEO – strategy and innovation for The Jerusalem Post and a senior correspondent. She also co-hosts the Inside Israeli Innovation podcast.