How Ben-Gvir's flotilla video shattered Israel's multimillion Hasbara'

A video posted on X showed Israel’s far-right National Security Minister taunting abducted activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla after Israeli naval forces intercepted their vessels in international waters off Cyprus. The activists were shown kneeling, blindfolded, and bound at the Port of Ashdod, with 430 participants abducted and at least 87 launching hunger strikes in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners. Several countries summoned Israeli ambassadors to condemn the treatment and violations of human dignity. Israeli officials responded with rapid deportation orders, including from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Experts linked the damage control to severe harm to Israel’s global image, noting reliance on Hasbara, a state propaganda campaign that tailors narratives for different audiences to justify policies and military actions.

"The footage, posted on the social media platform X, showed Ben-Gvir gloating as activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla knelt on the floor, blindfolded, with their hands bound at the Port of Ashdod. Israeli naval forces had intercepted the flotilla's vessels in international waters off the coast of Cyprus, illegally abducting 430 participants. Among them, at least 87 have launched a hunger strike in solidarity with the more than 9,500 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. The images of activists being dragged across the floor prompted several countries including Italy, France, the Netherlands, Canada, and Spain to summon Israeli ambassadors, condemning the unacceptable treatment and violation of human dignity."

"Experts argue that the frantic damage control by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who ordered the rapid deportation of the activists, stems not from moral outrage over the abuses, but from the catastrophic damage done to Israel's global image. For decades, Israel has relied on Hasbara a Hebrew term translating to explanation a propaganda campaign to justify its policies and military actions against Palestinians to the international community."

"Fathi Nimer, a Palestine policy fellow at Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network, told Al Jazeera that Hasbara is essentially state propaganda designed to beautify the image of the occupation by tailoring specific narratives to different global audiences. The fundamental assumption of Hasbara is that Israel is always"

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