Thread by @fadiquran

Wow - “According to excerpts from 'Rage', at a time when @realDonaldTrump was wondering if #Israel was the obstacle to peace with the #Palestinians, Netanyahu showed him a fake video to steer him away from pro-Palestinian sentiments.” Fake news at the highest levels (thread).

I have met so many high level officials and diplomats across the US and @EUinIsrael who consistently mention content or issues that are clearly based on disinformation fed to them by Israeli officials that stoke their prejudice against the Palestinian ppl and struggle 2/X

Often times, I’ve asked for evidence of these claims - with staffers for these high level officials failing to find any. But what’s clearer now more than ever is that the @IsraelMFA and Israel’s strategic Affairs ministry are factories of disinformation. So what’s the lesson? 3/X

If you’re a diplomat or government official, don’t trust anything you receive from an Israeli government source without independently verifying it - whether it is from intelligence or even the Prime Minister. Don’t let them weaponise you’re implicit prejudice with fake news. 4/X

The fact that doctored videos were used to paint Palestinians as “child murderers” should be a reminder of how far the Israel gov will go to smear #Palestinians. Similar “active measures” are being used to smear college students and human rights defenders who organise for freedom

I am not a fan of President Abbas, but one thing he has been consistent about for 15 years has been speaking out against violence. Also, Trump’s pro Israel work is a mix of seeking the evangelical vote, Adelson & Kushner being blindly biased - not a fake video, BUT...6/X

... Such videos instigate more hate and vitriol and justify violence against Palestinians, making policies such as defunding @UNRWA “ethically justifiable” if one believes the Disinfo about what it teaches children. Such lies fuel more extremism & hate against Palestinians 7/X

Lastly, given BIBI used fake news and doctored videos with his best friend Trump, IMAGINE all the BS they’ve fed Arab leaders such as #MBS, @MohamedBinZayed and #Bahraini leaders who are all too often technically illiterate when it comes to political nuance and basic facts.