"We were kidnapped, we are asking our governments to help rescue us"; "A piratical act on the part of Israel"; "They sailed to Gaza in Palestine, not to Israel"; "Their arrest is illegal" – these are the headlines that stand out in the hundreds of thousands of posts on social media, and even in some newspapers and news websites around the world, accompanying the farce of Greta Thunberg and her friends from the moment they were arrested by IDF forces before they reached the shores of Gaza.
Although the IDF acted in accordance with international law when arresting the 12 members of the delegation, although even the court in The Hague does not question the legality of the naval blockade that Israel has imposed on Gaza for many years, and although it is clear to everyone that a sovereign state is entitled to detain people who illegally try to enter a war zone under its responsibility - it seems that the fake, propaganda and lies are still finding their way into the hearts of millions of citizens of the world, no matter how many noble memes laugh at the whole story.
Official Israel has done its utmost - the photo of Greta smiling in front of the soldier who is serving her a sandwich and a bottle of water had the desired effect, and additional photos and videos showing IDF soldiers distributing food and water to the members of the delegation have also found their way into thousands of posts and comments on the subject.
And for a moment, it seemed that was enough. Whether because of the general disgust that prevails among Europeans towards the young climate activist, or because it was clear to any reasonable person that this was a PR campaign whose outcome was known in advance, or the fact that the IDF managed to effectively neutralize the incident, it seemed that we had the upper hand.
The refusal to deport was expected.
But then came the moment of the group's deportation, and once again everything seemed to have turned upside down. True, Greta is already in Europe at this moment after signing her official deportation documents (along with four other members of the delegation), but the remaining members of the delegation, eight in number, including the anti-Israeli member of the European Parliament from France, Rima Hassan, who had already been expelled from Israel in the past – refused to sign the documents.
Those who do not agree to deportation, including Hassan, were detained for 96 hours at the Givon detention facility for illegal immigrants - after which they could be deported with or without their consent. But the critical days in which Hassan is detained in Israel are much more than a bureaucratic saga of holding illegal immigrants.
These are 96 hours in which she, under the cover of cameras and in close collaboration with anti-Israeli propaganda systems, turns herself into a martyred saint, a victim of the “occupation” and a “colonial system of oppression.” She knows exactly what she’s doing: every hour she spends in the Givon facility is another opportunity to garner headlines, garner empathy, and create a narrative that Israel is already having a hard time dealing with.
Documentation of Hassan from last February at Ben Gurion Airport, after she was denied entry to the country. (Social Media)
Refusing to sign the deportation documents is not an act of principle, but a calculated tactical move - an attempt to drag Israel into another provocation, one that will provide a"winning" image of forced deportation or "inhumane" treatment. For her, every additional day she is held here is another valuable propaganda asset for social media.
For example, here is a post by Hassan on her X account, which reads:"We need your help in sharing this post widely by tagging the heads of state of the team members, in order to demand their immediate release. Call on the relevant authorities to demand the immediate release of the entire team from Israel." Yes, this is a post by a European parliamentarian, who is well aware that she is not being held by force in Israel, and who herself refuses to leave the country.
And this is exactly the point where the Ministry of Information must step up the pace. Not just provide late responses, not just publish good pictures after the narrative has already been written - but attack. Lead. Because this event is far from over. If there is no strategic, visually timed response, and if there is no massive use of social media, Instagram, TikTok, and X, Israel will lose the arena of public opinion again, even though this time it has all the tools to win.
If social media, Instagram, TikTok, and X are not used extensively, Israel will once again lose the arena of public opinion, even though this time it has all the tools to win.
It's important to understand: Social media is not just another platform - it's the central battlefield of today. What happens there, at these very hours, is more decisive than any verdict in The Hague or a press conference in Jerusalem. Virality is stronger than facts, and one hashtag with a manipulative image can erase days of organized propaganda. It's time to understand the new rules, and play accordingly.
We also need to say this out loud - part of the problem lies in the fact that official Israel still acts as if it is playing chess, when faced with fighters in the MMA arena. Without rules, without red lines, and with one clear goal: to bring us down in the public arena.
This gap between measured response and raging reality works against us time and again. When Hassan posts a photo from the detention facility, it will immediately receive millions of views. When Israel issues a clarification or a photo from the same facility, it will, at best, reach the IDF spokesman's Twitter account. It's not enough. It doesn't work.
A demonstrator at a protest that broke out in Athens after the Gaza flotilla was stopped (Reuters)
Thousands of people took to the streets of Paris to protest the arrest of Hassan and members of the delegation. Public opinion created on the Internet turns into street protests and policy (Reuters)
Protest in Paris against the arrest of members of the Gaza flotilla delegation (Reuters)
The solution: an army of content creators and a strong advocacy network
If Israel wants to change the picture, it must establish a dedicated digital advocacy body that operates in real time, 24/7, not only with speakers in a variety of languages, but a veritable"army" of content creators, video editors, and social media experts, who know and understand what works on which network, and how to appeal to audiences in Europe and the US so that it will truly affect them.
Short videos, focused graphics, testimonies from the field - everything it takes to fight for public opinion, where it is created. Yes, it is that urgent and important, because public opinion is ultimately what creates policy and what influences it. In an era when the battle for legitimacy is no less important than the battle on the ground, advocacy must also be conducted like a military operation in every sense. Right now, it seems, we are mostly sleeping standing up.
