A video posted by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, in which he is seen taunting abducted flotilla activists who sought to break the siege on Gaza, has triggered a backlash and dealt a huge blow to Israel’s multimillion-dollar public relations campaign, known as “Hasbara”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe 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.The collapse of the ‘Hasbara’ illusionExperts 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. Advertisement Fathi Nimer, a Palestine policy fellow at Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network, told Al Jazeera that Hasbara is essentially state propaga …
