In the new media forum, we are seeing more and more spillage of warfare onto the screens. There is an increasingly obvious marketing strategy in warfare. It is different to a tactic of making an announcement of a move by the military to fool the enemy as was done by Israel in the May 2021 war.
This is driven by new media and social media. The most recent and scandalous is the conflict in Gaza. Now that information is more accessible, translatable, discussed and spread out from different perspectives, the global community is reacting in many ways. Simultaneously, public opinion is more direct, measured and easily monitored. All these are reasons for warfare to be continued on the screens in quite interesting ways.
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| Arab doctor in Israeli hospital posted in May 2021 |
During the war (May 2021), an Arab doctor working at a hospital in Israel posted his alliance with Palestinian Nazis on facebook. This prompted my investigation into who a Palestinian Nazi was and the relationship between Adolf Hitler and Palestine. Knowing that Hitler was a master at propaganda I decided to look at the recurring conflict or unresolved issue from the angle of marketing since he was branding himself. There are three questions I address by using the controversial issue of the Israel and Palestine conflict over Gaza:
- Propaganda using media
- The strategy of propaganda
- The lie behind the propaganda
I want to caution my readers, this topic has claimed many lives, over generations and covered thousands of years. I cannot unravel it in a short article to do it justice or to simply prove a point. It needs some time, accuracy, and attention. I apologise in advance if you are affected emotionally because I know I do touch on things that many people would rather hide. The goal is to find perspective so we can understand the world we live in.
PROPAGANDA USING MEDIA
My grandmother (Mama Kissoom) told me that during WWII there were times when pamphlets about the war would be dropped from planes. We are a long way from that now. But it appears in this data driven world that propaganda is still used. Because it is the age of digital transformation it is on screens and on the airwaves (not just radio). Propaganda is part of a plan that is associated largely with politics. It is used in warfare and colonisation. In the case study of the Israel and Palestine conflict there are various strategies involving social and new media.
Since it is onscreen it can be confused with marketing. In the blog Propaganda and Marketing I explain the difference of a lie, and a deception. I show that the public demand for honesty and genuine care, creates a difference between propaganda and marketing. But both are based on trust. Also, I discuss the use of social media in some detail and you can find more in the blog, Israel and Palestine On Screens. Propaganda using media is not marketing.
Propaganda has to reach the masses in order to be effective. The effectiveness is in creating international political pressure. Because there is a demand for truth it has to appear credible and create emotion. When enough immediate emotion is created there is less chance of investigating credibility or facts. When it is promoted by masses from different locations it appears as truth because the assumption is that someone has done the fact checking. Often false information is used and sometimes is is simply presenting an opinion to an issue without facts. When it is done with a brand that is believed to be credible e.g. BBC it is accepted as truth.
Public pressure can be used to affect policies and politics. This is clearly seen in how the Democrats in America responded to social media during the conflict. The balance of power between the Palestinians and Israel is affected when international pressures on Israel changes the course of the fighting and the general political conduct. This is proven by calls for peace talks, for sanctions, for tribunals, and demands for Israel to give up land. The propaganda is a continuation of the war. It is a tactic used on a different type of field.
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| Democrats protest in Dearborn, Michigan |
Using journalists and news houses to spread a specific and consistent narrative constitutes fake news. Even in Israel, Arabs living in Israel staged fake riots that were promoted by journalists. Shame on them! Such journalism is seen as part of the war and such journalists as frontline resistance. Yusuf Abu Hussein, a broadcaster who died was praised for his role in "jihad al-kalma" to which Muslims attach paramount importance. It means "jihad through the word".
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| Yusuf Abu Hussein, TV Broadcaster died in Sheikh Rachuan, Gaza (May 2021) |
During the May 2021 conflict, the CNN news network was criticised online for hiring Mr. Adeel Raja. He is a journalist who published antisemitic tweets saying the world needs another Hitler. His praises for the Nazi leader are consistent over a period. During the FIFA Cup final in 2014 he wrote the only reason I support Germany's final solution - Hitler was German and did good with these Jews! Recently, he wrote on his LinkedIn account, Hail Hitler.
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| Anti-Semitic quote from Adeel Raja |
There is an obvious thread among Palestinians of a connection with Adolf Hitler. There is wide usage of both media houses and social media in this war. The lies I have uncovered so far as I wrote in my previous blogs demonstrate that the lies are not a simple mistake. They are consistently told and spread. This is definitely not individuals with an opinion either or just moved by kinship. They are people well positioned and with a message to give. So far the message appears false.
The media is being used as a war tactic or if you like a political campaign. But it not just a campaign for the time as it has roots that go back decades. It is a consistent strategy of warfare being used. This is another reason why it is not marketing as marketing changes with different variables. The importance of media can clearly be seen and therefore more attention and human resource policy making, is needed in employing individuals who will have a huge responsibility of trust. Hires should not be done with an urgency for the sake of diversity (that might be another blog).
THE STRATEGY OF PROPAGANDA
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| Find Quotes by Hitler from Gordon State and More quotes by Hitler. |
The strategy I am focusing on is one of Adolf Hitler’s, If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed. He adds, Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it….
Propaganda or lies are being spread using marketing tools and forums. Sometimes Palestinians claim that Israel is Nazi, but this is a stretch of the imagination due to the experience Jews had at the hands of the Nazis. However, there is proof of Palestine's connection with Hitler and there are too many quotes by Hitler supporting the strategy I look at here, to dismiss it.
In December 12, 1941, Hitler received the Grand Mufti of Palestine, with whom he spoke on future relations between Germany and the Arabic world. Haj Amin al-Husseini went about forging an agreement with Hitler to treat with the common problem in a common way. He was known as the Arab Fuhrer for the following reasons:
- He was violent to Jews and had been imprisoned by the British
- He incited riots and violence to Jews 1920, 21, 29 killing Jews
- Moderate Arabs fled from him
- He was a hardliner that would not give in 1% even to get 99% (Winston Churchill)
- His role in Poland and the use of death camps
- His role in Bosnia’s (Europe) massacre
- His only condition to helping Hitler was that after winning the war, Hitler will help him slaughter all the Jews, (I think he was worse than Hitler)
In 1929 Husseini spread a lie that the Jews praying at the Western Wall were trying to take over the Al Aqsa Mosque (third most holy Mosque). Many Jews died in retaliation by Arabs. This resonated with a similar event which occurred at the Temple Mount in May 2021.
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| Find Quotes by Hitler from Gordon State and More quotes by Hitler. |
Jews were dancing at the annual Jerusalem Day celebrations (May 10). Arabs set a tree on fire near the same mosque. Due to the elevation, the scene when videotaped was misleading. The lie was told; the Jews set the mosque on fire and were rejoicing. It was done to escalate the conflict and gain sympathy for the Arab cause. Some lies can be deliberate and deep rooted but for a deception it can affect masses of people, over time and on a global scale becoming a propaganda.
Jerusalem’s Temple Mount: The Palestinians set a tree on fire.
A scene shot and a lie told blaming the Jews for setting the mosque on fire and for dancing while it burn.
Jews dancing is a normal occurrence. This is at the Damascus gate in Jerusalem on May 17. Jewish worshippers on their way for a special Shavuot prayer at the western wall stopped there to dance and praise God.
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| Find Quotes by Hitler from Gordon State and More quotes by Hitler |
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| Find Quotes by Hitler from Gordon State and More quotes by Hitler |
Al-Husseini adopted Hitler's strategy to use lies to create propaganda and to move masses with it. There are several of Hitler's quotes that I can see in operation over the years since.
In 2014 and again in 2021 the internet was flooded with images of children and families who were supposed to have been hurt by Israel. The message was that Israel was killing babies. People's emotions were high, no one checked the facts especially as the mainstream media were promoting it.
Then the hashtags #freePalestine to create a sense of urgency. The Palestine cause became a global call and no one felt they had time or needed to check for evidence. They did not even realise that Palestine was offered independence seven times and even more land than they have now. Hitler told his Nazi party, Mein Kampf should not become a constable of public opinion, but must dominate it. It must not become a servant of the masses, but their master!
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| Message from Hamas spokesman Muhammad Hamada in Jerusalem in early May 2021. He calls on Muslims to arrive tonight, at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and stay there until the morning of Eid al-Fitr (which will probably take place on Wednesday). |
It is obvious that Hitler's strategy for hurting the enemy in this case, the Jews from within (Israel). This was how terrorism grew and was fuelled. He said, Demoralise the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future. This was not guerrilla warfare. Terrorism from within. They beat up on Jews and if Jews retaliated they would twist it. They planned the Al-Asqa Mosque scene just as they did the fire scene while Jews celebrated.
Prior to the war in May, there were skirmishes. It was reported on social media that during the month of Ramadan, the Jews were beating up on the Muslims. This is discussed in more detail in Israel and Palestine On Screens.
Arabs are attacking a Orthodox Jews near the Damascus gate in Jerusalem.
The lie would fuel the propaganda and the masses would be deceived. It is justified by the master deceiver/ propagandist himself, Hitler, it is not truth that matters but victory. After the war al-Husseini fled to Egypt as a hero. He helped fleeing Nazis to hide in Egypt and with growing influence he formed the Palestine Liberation Organisation (1964).
This particular deception or propaganda is to help the Palestine cause for occupation or ownership of Israel not just Gaza, and it did not happen in recent years, it has been happening for decades. It uses the Palestine name as a brand and for that reason I am now visiting the concept of Palestine and how it became a brand. This is where the bacchanal starts and the brain starts to spin trying to keep up with all the drama created. Buckle up so you do not fall of the chair, I almost did while researching.
THE LIE BEHIND THE PROPAGANDA
Recently the conflict between Israel and Palestine had drawn much attention again. There were many accusations of false information, much protests by individuals, governments and groups from all over the world. In the case study of propaganda in the Palestine and Israel situation I:
- determine the actual lie being used for the propaganda
- work out the size or extent of the lie
- show how it is being repeated
- prove that it is affecting masses of people in different locations
This war is said to be about the occupation or ownership of the land called, Israel. Some say the land is really Palestine and therefore belongs to the people called Palestinians. Some say that the land is called Israel and belongs to the people called Jews. This land affects three major religious groups directly; Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In response to the situation, many comments are heard but the most common are:
- The land belongs to Palestine
- The occupation is the trouble
- Peace in the Middle East is possible
They are all anti-Israeli statements. If the land belongs to Palestine then who are they? We know they practice Islam. Was the land occupied by Palestinians in the past?
When I was growing up as a Muslim, I identified a shift. It was personal for me because I bought a book about the Middle East in the late 1990s which explained that the Arabs in that area were nomads. In it was a picture of an Arab nomad who was the spitting image (like a twin) to my natural grandfather, Pa Zolo (short for Zolfigar) who was a Muslim. This book confirmed what my father taught me. But then suddenly everyone around me started saying Muslims were from Israel. It made no sense to me. It sounded like identity theft.
As a Christian I tried to figure it out. In the Bible the map shows Palestine. Like many others I assumed Palestinians and the Philistines were the same people. The Philistines were not even from that area. They were the people from the Greek isles not Arabs and they were the ancient enemies of the Israelites.
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica the first reference to the Philistines that was not Biblical was in the
I find that it is very strange that there are no documents in the Philistine language. A people who were around for hundreds of years. The Enclopaedia Britannica says that all of it was replaced possibly by Canaanite, Aramaic, and, later, Greek. Now Canaanites were a very diverse people. Kind of like the diversity present day in multi-cultural societies.
What I don't understand is how the language or writings for an entire people was destroyed or re-written in different languages. It did not just happen because they were taken over. When nations are conquered there are still references and artefacts remaining.
Even the First Nation People who traveled through the Caribbean left artefacts dating back to their settlement on the islands. They were not even given writing. Obviously the Philistine people were wiped out just as the evidence of the people's existence. Who did that? Why? The Jews were not around to do it. But those claiming to be descendants were.
Further to this the little artefacts found where the Philistines lived e.g. Ashdod, Ekron and Tel Qasile proves that they were from the Aegean area. Although they were absorbed or conquered by others in later years, e.g. Babylon. If there are surviving artefacts then I still ask the question, Why change the language used in previous documents and recordings? This is a pattern that is reoccurring. No connection or tie is seen between those who claim to be descendants to the original people.
The Encyclopaedia goes on to say the Philistine gods mentioned in other sources were Dagan, Ashteroth (Astarte), and Beelzebub. They had Semitic names and were probably borrowed from the conquered Canaanites. The main point here is that the religion they followed was not Islam.
It seems as though there was a deliberate removal of the Philistine original documents. It reminded me of the recent resurgence of a terrorist group. When ISIS was strong and taking over in different areas they destroyed historical monuments, documents, even Islamic artefacts. Was this as haphazard as it appeared? The word Philistine itself means ‘invade’. If they are invaders then the land did not belong to them. They were known as invaders from the sea. Egyptian records as far back as 1100s BC refers to them as the 'Sea People'. Why is the name Palestine then used to reference the Philistines? It is said that the root of the names are similar. I am no scholar but if they are the same then they are invaders. The assumed root name of palash פלש is common to both.
Philistine (פלשתי) literally means one belonging to Philistia (פלשת). While I am typing this, the Google corrector is adjusting Philistia to be Palestine. This is how easy it is to erase a language and a people. Palestine means dirt people who rolled around, peleshet or were migratory or roamed the land. Another meaning for Palestine is land of grief-stricken dust-rollers, land of tunnel diggers (have to chuckle here). It is easy as forgetting a comma I think. But what an important comma!
They could not be the Sea People nor could they be occupiers. I even read an article written by someone who says the name Palestine was lent to the Philistines. There is no documentation other than the assumption that the people were the same based on a similar root word. It is widely accepted because a lot of sites on the internet state it like a fact.
When I research and read up on the Philistines I have to remind myself that when they say Palestine as a land or people they really mean Philistine. The average person will not know this and will be misinformed. It is done on some credible sites which helps people to accept it as a truth. This is identity theft.
But short of sounding like a conspiracy I present the Roman Emperor, Hadrian. In 135 AD Hadrian changed the name of the province from Judaea (Judea) to Syria-Palestina (Palestine) saying it is, In an effort to wipe out all memory of the bond between the Jews and their land (Ben-Sasson, 1976). The name Palestine became the loose or common reference in non-jewish literature. Even Bibles are printed with Palestine on the map to complicate the issue and cause more confusion.
Image of Roman Emperor Hadrian
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| Image of Roman Emperor Hadrian |
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| The Jewish Post was once called the Palestine Post |
To this day, Israelis claims that their right to be in Israel (the land) is due to a belief that God told them the land is theirs (Genesis). It was then easy to disassociate Israel from the land in the eyes of a world that was non-religious or where the state was closely linked to another religious group. Christians were the only other religion that held on to this belief. With references made to Palestine and not Israel in non-Jewish literature, factual information became distorted. References to Israel as a land became solely associated to religion and was therefore treated as religious fanaticism.
There is more to this confusion. For sometime the land was called Palestine and the people were Jews. Is there any basis to tie this back to the original Philistines? Yes, in 1186BC the Sea People warred against Egypt along with, other peoples, one of which is said to be the tribe of Dan. Thus, Jews have a similar right to be identified with the People of the Sea.
Historical documents can attest to this as well. The Jerusalem Post was called the Palestine Post. The Israeli Philharmonic was called the Palestine Orchestra. The Jews who fought in WWII by joining the British army against Nazi Germany, were called the Palestinian Brigade but this military unit was made up as 3 Jews to 1 Arab. Similarly in 1917, it was a Jewish brigade. Here I show you a document written to criticise Israel. But it states clearly, the Palestinian Battalion for most of WWII was the closest thing to an identifiable Jewish force (Davis, 1979)
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| 1936/37 Programme for the Palestine Orchestra in Hebrew |
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| Palestine Brigade pin in Hebrew and English |
For Jews who have been exiled, enslaved and driven out of the land it is a sore point to be called anything other than Israeli. Did Israel as a land exist? It is historically recorded that Nehemiah (known as a prophet) served in the Persian royal court as a cupbearer to King Atarxerxes. Around 444 BC, Nehemiah was given permission to return to Israel to rebuild the wall of the temple in the city of Jerusalem. He held a secular position serving the King and he was a Jew going back to his home Israel (Britannica). He was not just a character in a story.
Associated with the main lie of the identity of Palestinians is the misunderstanding that Jesus was not Jewish. Without using scripture I can say He was not Christian either. But the records in Rome would say that He was a Jew in Israel. Further to this, Flavius Josephus a historian serving Rome and former governor to Jerusalem was a Jew. He led a rebellion in Jerusalem against Rome AD 66/67. This is documented. Did the Romans conquer Jerusalem and the rest of Israel from Philistines or Muslims or from Jews?
Many wars had occurred against Israel. Living in exile and the hardship of slavery resulted in them living in other countries and not gathered together as a nation or a population over a land. They were scattered in different countries. The people or nation did exist but were not visible to the eye due to this. Jews fled from Hitler coming the Americas. After facing hostilities in Trinidad many of them returned to Israel.
In my examination of the Palestine and Israel situation as a case study of a possible propaganda I have uncovered that through the use of new media and social media the tools of marketing have been used for propaganda. I have shown that the acceptance of the name Palestine for Philistine has led to a wide acceptance of the propaganda.
I have taken the strategy from Hitler and applied it to current and past events proving that the lie runs deep but I have shown that it goes over a period of about 1800 years. It is a strategy of identity theft for propaganda to this day. It is now a brand to identify with. It is in aid of an Arab cause that promotes Israel as an occupier not an owner. More on this topic coming soon.
You can read my other articles:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Philistine". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Philistine-people. Accessed 21 May 2021.
https://www.etymonline.com
H.H. Ben-Sasson, A History of the Jewish People, Harvard University Press, 1976, page 334
Ronald Davis, Jewish Military Recruitment in Palestine, Journal of Palestine Studies © 1979 Taylor & Francis, Ltd.
https://www.thoughtco.com/who-were-the-sea-people-119065
https://beholdisrael.org
