Despite the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Israeli writer Lilach Segan believes that the battle he planned did not stop at the borders of the square, but rather extended to global public opinion, where the Palestinian narrative succeeded in achieving a broad breakthrough, in exchange for the Israeli inability to communicate its narrative outside what she described as the local “echo chamber.”
According to an article by journalist Lilach Segan in the Israeli newspaper Maariv, the death of US Senator Lindsey Graham sparked sadness in Israel, not only because he was, as she put it, a “true friend,” but because of the implications his passing represents.
Segan believed that Graham belonged to the old America whose love for Israel was automatic and clear, while the criticism directed at it remained mainly confined to the margins, noting that this reality had witnessed a rift over the past three years, and that what was most dangerous was that Israel did not move to reform it.
I stopped at the headlines published this week regarding the discovery by the “Meir Amit Institute” of a document revealing that Yahya Sinwar expected that the October 7 attack would lead to a severe Israeli response, and perhaps to Israel’s use of a nuclear bomb.
She said that there are two important facts related to the document that did not receive the required attention, the first of which is the importance that Sinwar gave to global awareness surrounding the attack that he was planning, with the aim of mobilizing international support.
According to Segan, Sinwar stressed the importance of establishing the attack, despite the killings it included, which the article described as brutal, as a “humanitarian” and “civil” act aimed at achieving Palestinian national “rights.”
The second fact is that the document received almost no publication outside Israel.
Segan said that she searched for it in English to no avail, and discovered that the only media outlets that published it in this language were Israeli, such as the Jerusalem Post and the Times of Israel.
I considered that this demonstrates the extent of Israel’s isolation within an echo chamber, as the Israelis talk to themselves with tremendous noise, but they barely succeed in penetrating the barrier and communicating with the world.
“Something went wrong with us on this side,” she wondered. Are we aware of this?
She believed that there was no need to pause for a long time when asking which of the two parties succeeded in imposing the framework it wanted in the war of consciousness that is still haunting Israel.
She said that Sinwar was assassinated, and that his bet on Iran and Hezbollah entering the attack since October 7 did not come true, but his vision of obtaining international support succeeded beyond expectations.
She pointed out that Benjamin Netanyahu announced at some point on October 7 that “we are at war,” but one of the fronts completely fell from the calculations.
She added that the Israeli government’s constant response to the deterioration of Israel’s international situation is that “victory in the battlefield is better than victory in the arena of awareness,” but Israel, according to Segan, does not have the luxury of choice, but rather must win in both arenas.
She pointed out that, amid the many enthusiastic statements about preventing any possibility of establishing a Palestinian state, international support for this state has risen to an unprecedented level.
In contrast, support for Israel declined to a lower level than support for the Palestinians, even within the United States.
She said that for those who have forgotten, the struggle to establish the Jewish state began with a long path aimed at gathering international support, because this is how these issues work.
She wondered whether Israel wanted to continue to close its eyes and make excuses in the face of the tremendous transformation it witnessed in the level of international awareness.
She added that the reality is not comfortable, but it is better to wake up and have the courage to look at it.
Segan discussed the political transformations in the West, considering that grief over Lindsey Graham is understandable, especially in light of the rise of a new type of politicians replacing the old figures.
She pointed out that after the resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, it became clear that Andy Burnham, who will succeed him, is no less hostile to Israel, and that he has already pledged to impose additional sanctions, not on Hamas, but on Israel.
She also pointed to what she described as a wave of Islamic candidates in the upcoming midterm elections for Congress and the Senate, and the presence of 150 current members of Congress who are already ready to vote against any aid to Israel.
She believed that these data confirm something clear, which is that when a phenomenon that harms Israel is not confronted, it only worsens, adding with sarcasm: “Pretend to be surprised.”
She pointed to the publication of a new book this week in Canada by political strategist Walter Kinsella, entitled “The Invisible Hand,” which deals with another path that began on October 7, in addition to the mass killings and kidnappings, which is the propaganda campaign.
According to the article, the propaganda campaign, similar to Hamas’ war against Israel, was prepared over a long time, and required and still requires planning, organization, and a lot of money.
She explained that the money is paid to demonstrators, professional organizers, lobbyists, non-profit organizations and associations, all of which operate like a well-organized machine, repeating the same messages to legislators, voters and media professionals.
She believed that this phenomenon had almost no spontaneous character, even if some of its participants did not realize it.
She added that the propaganda campaign also takes advantage of demographic shifts in the West, but it is mainly based on unstable priorities, whether among Jewish organizations in the West that are not sufficiently organized, or within Israel itself.
She said that instead of going beyond making clever excuses for the electoral base regarding the situation, it became clear that the current government simply does not know how to fight this battle.
Meanwhile, it is difficult to convey the Israeli voice, which Segan described as rational, while the prevailing Israeli narrative is almost absent from the public sphere.
She pointed out that the American Writers Guild published an article this week entitled “Silent Comment,” attacking the blacklists that target Israeli and Jewish writers who are subjected to systematic exclusion within the United States.
But the president of the union resigned, not out of shame that he too supported the exclusion of the Jews, but rather in objection to the article, because, according to Seguin, he belonged to the “genocidal” group.
The writer stopped at the broadcast of the final episode of the fifth season of the series “Fauda,” which deals with what has been happening since October 7.
She said that the makers, during two episodes that she described as breathtaking, recreated part of the actions that took place that day, which left all Israelis under the influence of psychological trauma.
She wished Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff success in marketing this season outside Israel, because its greatest importance, in her opinion, lies there.
She added that in the absence of organized Israeli action on this front, the series’ makers are turning into pioneers demanding to penetrate the propaganda campaign against Israel, and break the exclusion and echo chamber.
Segan touched on the tendency of Israelis to return to routine and try to be happy despite problems, and to start from the assumption that God loves them and that they will eventually overcome everything.
I considered this a very healthy trait, especially in a small country surrounded by enemies, which was subjected to the most severe massacre in its history and has been waging war for 3 years.
But she wondered about the line between wanting to believe that things will be okay, and closing your eyes and slipping into a false perception that ends in tears.
She pointed out that many Israelis are aware of the international propaganda campaign and are following it with concern.
She pointed out that a serious conference will be held this week on “data poisoning,” which will address the various ways in which collective human knowledge is exposed to daily manipulation.
She explained that this happens through the interference of foreign countries through social media sites, operating robots, penetrating universities and knowledge institutions, and influencing traditional media and artificial intelligence engines.
She added that the world lives amidst countless influence campaigns, including rewriting thousands of articles in the Wikipedia encyclopedia, threatening to erase Jewish history and its relationship with Israel.
Segan discussed the beginning of the Hebrew month of Av this week, noting that with the entry of this month, Jews reduce joy, because it is associated with the historical days of devastation.
She said that during the period “between straits,” Jews are not supposed to sign contracts and conclude deals, but rather be busy only with self-examination.
But what happened in Israel, according to the article, was the conclusion of a deal to pass a law preventing the arrest of Haredim fleeing conscription, despite the objection of the Chief of Staff, in exchange for the formation of a belated investigation committee into the events of October 7, with those who will be subjected to the investigation appointing its members.
She pointed out that the Supreme Court froze the draft law, which does not even attempt to claim that it adheres to the principle of equality.
She added that the government will now be able to complain again about excessive interference by the judiciary, because this matter forms the basis of its upcoming election campaign.
She saw that instead of opening the eyes and fighting the global war of awareness, the flames of which are now approaching the outskirts of Israel, it is preferable to invest energy in laws that she described as scandalous, which serve the “camp,” while repealing them serves the “electoral campaign.”
Segan concluded by asking: “What is supposed to happen to the Jews who behave in this way at such a stage?”
Thus, Segan does not place Israel’s failure in the category of losing a passing media narrative, but rather within the framework of a strategic battle that she believes was planned by Sinwar in advance, and that Israel, despite its success in assassinating him, is still unable to defeat him in the arena he chose for the world.
