Israeli Lawmakers Demanded Better PR to Conceal Gaza Famine. Google Obliged.
Analysis Summary
This article strongly argues that the Israeli government is running a large public relations campaign, which it calls 'hasbara' or propaganda, to hide a man-made famine in Gaza and discredit humanitarian groups. It wants you to believe that Israel is more interested in manipulating public opinion than actually dealing with the humanitarian crisis.
FATE Analysis
Four dimensions of psychological manipulation: how content captures Focus, exploits Authority, triggers Tribal identity, and engineers Emotion.
Focus signals
"Publicly available government contracts show that Israel’s advertising bureau, which reports to the prime minister’s office, has since embarked on a mass advertising and public messaging effort to conceal the hunger crisis."
This frames the current events as an extraordinary, new development: a government actively working to 'conceal' a crisis through a 'mass advertising and public messaging effort.'
"Much of the video’s reach results from an ad placed during an ongoing and previously unreported $45 million (NIS 150 million) advertising campaign initiated between Google and Netanyahu’s office in late June."
The phrase 'previously unreported' explicitly highlights the newness and exclusivity of the information, acting as a novelty spike to capture and hold attention.
Authority signals
"In August, the UN formally declared a famine in Gaza governorate, which includes Gaza City. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the leading global authority on food security, projected the threshold for famine would be crossed in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in the coming weeks, stating 'this Famine is entirely man-made, it can be halted and reversed.' The UN aid coordination office OCHA further warned on Friday of 'a descent into a massive famine' in the Gaza Strip."
The article uses the declarations and projections of the UN, IPC (described as 'the leading global authority on food security'), and OCHA to lend weight and credibility to the claims about the famine. While these are cited sources, the cumulative weight of multiple authoritative institutions reporting the same thing is used to establish the factual basis.
"At least 367 Palestinians, including 131 children, have died as a result of hunger and malnutrition since the war began, according_to the health ministry in Gaza."
The 'health ministry in Gaza' is cited as the source for death tolls, appealing to an official institutional body, even if in a contested region, to bolster the factual claims.
Tribe signals
"Despite the denial about the famine, prominent Israeli government voices have championed the effort to cut off food and water to Gazans as a strategy for inducing mass migration out of the territory. “In my opinion, you can besiege them,” said Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli Finance Ministry and a coalition partner to Netantayu’s government, according to Channel 12. “No water, no electricity, they can die of hunger or surrender,” Smotrich said."
This quote creates an 'us vs. them' dynamic by portraying 'prominent Israeli government voices' as advocating for actions that would harm 'Gazans', thus drawing a clear line between the two groups and their opposing interests.
"Amichay Eliyahu, the Knesset member who leads the Heritage Ministry in Netanyahu's government, has similarly called for starving the Palestinian population of Gaza. 'There is no nation that feeds its enemies,” Eliyahu said during a radio interview in July. In May, the minister argued the Palestinians 'need to starve' and added, 'If there are civilians who fear for their lives, they should go through the emigration plan.'"
The quote 'There is no nation that feeds its enemies' explicitly frames the situation in terms of an 'us vs. them' conflict, where one group ('nation') is positioned against another ('its enemies'), justifying withholding aid based on this tribal demarcation.
Emotion signals
"On March 2, 2025, hours after the Israeli government announced the blockade of all food, medicine, fuel, and other humanitarian supplies from entering Gaza, lawmakers in Jerusalem demanded answers—not on the devastating human toll of such a decision, but on how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office was preparing to handle the public relations fallout."
This framing immediately aims to generate outrage by highlighting a perceived callousness: lawmakers' focus on 'public relations fallout' rather than the 'devastating human toll' of a blockade. The contrast is designed to provoke a strong emotional response.
"Publicly available government contracts show that Israel’s advertising bureau, which reports to the prime minister’s office, has since embarked on a mass advertising and public messaging effort to conceal the hunger crisis."
The use of the word 'conceal' in the context of a 'hunger crisis' is emotionally charged, suggesting deliberate deception and aiming to elicit anger and outrage at the alleged cover-up.
"At least 367 Palestinians, including 131 children, have died as a result of hunger and malnutrition since the war began, according to the health ministry in Gaza."
Detailing the number of deaths, specifically mentioning 'children' and attributing it to 'hunger and malnutrition,' engineers fear and pity in the reader regarding the severity of the humanitarian situation, emphasizing vulnerability and suffering.
Narrative Analysis (PCP)
How the article reshapes thinking: Perception (what beliefs are targeted), Context (what information is shifted or omitted), and Permission (what behavior is being encouraged).
The article aims to instill the belief that the Israeli government is actively engaged in a systematic and well-funded public relations campaign, which it characterizes as 'hasbara' or propaganda, to conceal a man-made famine in Gaza and discredit humanitarian organizations, rather than addressing the humanitarian crisis itself. It seeks to shape the perception that Israel's actions are driven by a desire to manipulate public opinion rather than by genuine concern or alternative narratives regarding the situation.
The article shifts the context from discussing the complex geopolitical situation and ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas to focusing almost exclusively on Israel's public relations efforts regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza. By highlighting internal Israeli government discussions about 'public relations fallout' and subsequent 'mass advertising and public messaging effort', it frames the entire issue through the lens of information control and propaganda, making certain actions seem cynical and manipulative rather than potentially strategic or defensive. The statements from Israeli officials about besieging and starving Gazans as a strategy are presented as corroborating evidence of this cynical motivation, even if they are from individuals who may not represent the whole government's official policy.
The article omits significant context regarding the broader conflict dynamics, such as the actions and statements of Hamas, the challenges of aid distribution within a war zone, the complex security concerns Israel faces, or potential alternative explanations for the advertising campaigns (e.g., countering what Israel perceives as misinformation). The absence of these factors makes the portrayal of Israel's actions as solely driven by a desire to 'conceal' and 'discredit' more forceful, as there are no competing narratives or complexities to consider in its analysis of the public relations efforts.
The reader is nudged toward skepticism and condemnation of the Israeli government's public communications regarding Gaza, and to view its official statements and media campaigns as manipulative propaganda. It encourages readers to be wary of information presented by Israeli sources concerning the humanitarian situation and to instead prioritize information from international bodies and non-governmental organizations as more credible. It also implicitly encourages anger or moral outrage towards Israel's perceived deception and alleged neglect of humanitarian crisis.
SMRP Pattern
Four manipulation maintenance tactics: Socializing the idea as normal, Minimizing concerns, Rationalizing with logic, and Projecting blame.
Red Flags
High-severity indicators: silencing dissent, coordinated messaging, or weaponizing identity to shut down debate.
"Avichai Edrei, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces who was asked the same question later in the hearing, assured the legislators work was underway, stating, “We could also decide to launch a digital campaign in this context, to explain that there is no hunger and present the data.”"
Techniques Found(6)
Specific propaganda techniques identified using the SemEval-2023 academic taxonomy of 23 techniques across 6 categories.
"Publicly available government contracts show that Israel’s advertising bureau, which reports to the prime minister’s office, has since embarked on a mass advertising and public messaging effort to conceal the hunger crisis. The push includes the use of American influencers widely reported on last month. It also includes a high-dollar spending spree on paid advertising, yielding tens of millions for Google, YouTube, X, Meta, and other tech platforms."
This quote minimizes the 'hunger crisis' by framing the communication strategy as an effort to 'conceal' it, implying it might not be as severe as reported, or that the focus should be on managing the perception rather than the crisis itself.
"“There is food in Gaza. Any other claim is a lie,” asserted a propaganda video published by Israel’s foreign ministry to Google’s YouTube video sharing platform in late August and viewed more than 6 million times."
The word 'lie' is an emotionally charged term designed to discredit any opposing claims about the food situation in Gaza without providing substantial evidence to refute them directly within the quote.
"The contract—which is with both YouTube and Google's advertising campaign management platform, Display & Video 360—explicitly characterizes the ad campaign as hasbara, a Hebrew word whose meaning is somewhere between public relations and propaganda."
The term 'hasbara' is presented with a loaded explanation, equating it to 'propaganda.' While it also includes 'public relations,' the inclusion of 'propaganda' immediately pre-frames the Israeli government's communication efforts negatively for the audience.
"Despite the denial about the famine, prominent Israeli government voices have championed the effort to cut off food and water to Gazans as a strategy for inducing mass migration out of the territory."
This statement oversimplifies the consequences of cutting off food and water, presenting 'inducing mass migration' as a primary and straightforward outcome, without detailing the complex, and often devastating, intermediate human tolls or broader implications of such actions.
"“In my opinion, you can besiege them,” said Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli Finance Ministry and a coalition partner to Netantayu’s government, according to Channel 12. “No water, no electricity, they can die of hunger or surrender,” Smotrich said."
Smotrich presents a false dilemma by suggesting only two options for the besieged population: 'die of hunger or surrender,' ignoring other potential outcomes, interventions, or responsibilities.
"“There is no nation that feeds its enemies,” Eliyahu said during a radio interview in July."
This statement acts as a conversation killer by framing aid as an act of feeding 'enemies,' thereby shutting down any debate about humanitarian obligations or the morality of withholding aid with an absolute and moralistic declaration.