Israel’s brutal war against Hamas is the greatest ordeal for Israelis and Palestinians alike in more than 100 years of struggle between the Zionist movement and its opponents. From the scenes of barbarity that gleeful Hamas terrorists uploaded to the web in October 2023 to today’s images of terror in Gaza as the Israeli counteroffensive grinds on, the war has broadcast portraits of human suffering to the world. Propagandists on all sides have sought to use the emotions the conflict and the suffering rouse to shape political realities in Gaza, Israel and around the world,
If the Israelis are winning the battles on the ground, the Palestinians have been more successful globally in the war for hearts and minds. The announcements that key Western countries and American allies including Britain, France, Australia and Canada are recognizing a Palestinian state demonstrate the war’s effect on public opinion in those countries. In the U.S., the war has contributed to increasing alienation from Israel among Democrats. It also is stoking waves of ugly antisemitism across the left and the far right.