Summary/Abstract |
Psychological warfare is a ‘soft power’ technique used to attain strategic objectives. In the Israeli–Palestinian dynamic, psychological warfare has evolved to where it now shares goals with ‘public diplomacy’ as a means of influencing policy and politics. Arab strategy has moved from ineffective attempts to influence the Israeli public to credible and cynical strategies that often involve a disregard for and exploitation of civilian casualties and the appearance of embracing ideology associated with revolutionary figures and human rights. ‘Non-violent resistance’ invoking Gandhi, Mandela and King as models for Palestinian Arab strategy is now common and serves to attract sympathy. Despite claiming a philosophy of nonviolence, the goal of many anti-Israel groups remains the dissolution of Israel as the state of the Jewish people.
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