Chad Merlin
Jerusalem Post, July 26, 2024
“… in my opinion, all of the above is just a diversionary tactic until they can reach the holy grail, which is a nuclear bomb. Then everything will change.”
The Islamic Republic goes to great lengths to invest in influencing minds across the globe to act against Israel and the US. The Jerusalem Post recently spoke with Aviram Bellaishe, vice president at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, to hear more about these efforts.
Bellaishe manages the center’s relationships with Arab countries – countries with which Israel has agreements and countries with which it does not, he said – and researches the worlds of psychological warfare and media.
What does it mean to research psychological warfare?
For instance, I would ask not how the elimination of chief of Hamas’s militia Mohammed Deif affects the battlefield in military terms, but how it impacts the other side in terms of their psyche. The question is how does his assassination affect the population and Hamas? An “icon with seven souls” was eliminated by Israel. What does it say about the perception of Israeli intelligence and deterrence, cracks within Hamas? Would such an event cause others, who are possibly less psychopathic than Sinwar, to stop and enter into negotiations?
I also carry out analyses of statements made by the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei. I believe he sees himself as a sort of guide for the minds. He puts much effort into crafting narratives against Israel, even tying his struggle for Palestinians to attempts to affect universities in the US. He mentioned explicitly that influencing through means of communication is key to victory in conflicts, more than a missile or a fighter plane. He also said that whoever influences minds and hearts and controls the means of communication will succeed, for which he gives credit to journalists and intellectuals. … [To read the full article, click here]