A look at the domestic Israeli arena reveals that the influence games are in full swing. If in the past it seemed that foreign elements could not gain a significant foothold in the Israeli public discourse, in the current conflict, it seems that Iran and other countries are quite able to “light the fire” of internal Israeli disputes. Bots suspected to be Iranian were exposed by civilian inspection bodies operating in Israel, and it became clear that messages were planted in the Israeli public discourse with the aim of causing serious damage to internal Israeli stability, cohesion, and internal resilience.
It is not always possible to distinguish between messages of domestic origin that are rooted in the deep divisions that characterized Israeli society in the past year and have intensified during the war, and messages that originate with a foreign country, but it is evident that at least Iran is taking advantage of the war chaos to weaken society. Occasionally internal factors unwittingly echo foreign messages.
If for years we have talked about fake news, and then about post truth and deep fake, and more recently also about disinformation, then today we have to talk about destabilization campaigns conducted by foreign countries and terrorist organizations against the State of Israel. Through hatred, polarization, and division, foreign actors, who win the cooperation of flesh-and-blood elements in Israel that are highly politically identified, succeed in igniting a fire within society. They further damage social cohesion and the ability to engage in discourse that enables a normative existence in a democratic society that faces great challenges.
It would have been better if the entire nation were rallying around the flag, as it seemed to be in the first days of horror and rage, but as time passes it is evident that the fusion of rifts is beyond realistic expectation. In addition, calling on the parties in Israel to cool emotions is not realistic and may be perceived as naive. This is a democratic society, even in times of war. At the same time, shining the spotlight on Iranian intervention and external attempts to deepen the divisions in order to weaken internal resilience and cohesion is now an imperative. This can protect society, at least partially, from widened divisions and polarization, or perhaps reduce the scope of the phenomenon.
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Produced in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Israel
A look at the domestic Israeli arena reveals that the influence games are in full swing. If in the past it seemed that foreign elements could not gain a significant foothold in the Israeli public discourse, in the current conflict, it seems that Iran and other countries are quite able to “light the fire” of internal Israeli disputes. Bots suspected to be Iranian were exposed by civilian inspection bodies operating in Israel, and it became clear that messages were planted in the Israeli public discourse with the aim of causing serious damage to internal Israeli stability, cohesion, and internal resilience.
It is not always possible to distinguish between messages of domestic origin that are rooted in the deep divisions that characterized Israeli society in the past year and have intensified during the war, and messages that originate with a foreign country, but it is evident that at least Iran is taking advantage of the war chaos to weaken society. Occasionally internal factors unwittingly echo foreign messages.
If for years we have talked about fake news, and then about post truth and deep fake, and more recently also about disinformation, then today we have to talk about destabilization campaigns conducted by foreign countries and terrorist organizations against the State of Israel. Through hatred, polarization, and division, foreign actors, who win the cooperation of flesh-and-blood elements in Israel that are highly politically identified, succeed in igniting a fire within society. They further damage social cohesion and the ability to engage in discourse that enables a normative existence in a democratic society that faces great challenges.
It would have been better if the entire nation were rallying around the flag, as it seemed to be in the first days of horror and rage, but as time passes it is evident that the fusion of rifts is beyond realistic expectation. In addition, calling on the parties in Israel to cool emotions is not realistic and may be perceived as naive. This is a democratic society, even in times of war. At the same time, shining the spotlight on Iranian intervention and external attempts to deepen the divisions in order to weaken internal resilience and cohesion is now an imperative. This can protect society, at least partially, from widened divisions and polarization, or perhaps reduce the scope of the phenomenon.
_______________
Produced in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Israel