Analysis: Will this image change the tide of the narrative war? Over the past few days, the "Hamasbara" crowd has been throwing a full-blown kanipshin fit over this image, claiming it’s somehow more evidence of Israel's (nonexistent) “genocide.” But here’s what seems different to me: the narrative isn’t sticking. Sure, the usual media outlets have dutifully echoed the outrage — platforming UN officials and broken NGOs who are whining that the new aid system is “dehumanizing.” As if the old system — where Hamas hoarded food to control the population — wasn’t profoundly dehumanizing. But outside of the pro-Hamas echo chamber, I’m seeing something I haven’t seen in a long time: resistance to the narrative. In fact, quite the opposite. People are mocking the deranged comparisons between this image and Jews being lined up for the gas chambers. Others are sharing clips of Palestinians gratefully opening food parcels, even shouting “thank you” to the American contractors distributing them. To be honest, I think the Hamasbara crowd looks at this image — and although they’re crying about it — they see the exact same thing everyone else does: hope. Hope for a future where Gaza is free from Hamas’ tyranny. Hope for a system that feeds people instead of starving them for leverage. And that’s what terrifies them. Not the fences, but the possibility that Hamas might finally lose control — both on the ground and in the narrative war. Because if Hamas loses its grip on the narrative — it loses everything. I don’t know how this whole initiative will play out in the days and weeks ahead. But for the first time in a long time, Israel and its supporters have a rare window to do something they rarely get to do: Expose just how cynical, dishonest, and morally bankrupt the Hamasbara machine really is. ========== H/T @EylonALevy for the Hamasbara term. It's hilarious.
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