Communicating Promise

The Communications of War

January 22, 2009 | Written by Glenn Jasper

To me, it’s always been fascinating to hear how the different sides in a war utilize the media to gain public approval. From Nasser in ‘67 to FDR during World War II to even "Baghdad Bob" Mohammed Saïd al-Sahaf, the messages communicated, as well as the style of delivery, has played a memorable if not significant role in how the war goes down in history.

Let’s take a look at how Israel did in its recent campaign in Gaza, using two examples, one from the beginning and one from the end of the campaign.

First, the war, according to Israel’s prime minister, Ehud Olmert, was not against the Palestinians, nor against the residents of Gaza. It was only against Hamas. The first public communication he offered to a television audience explained the rationale for fighting and an out-and-out apology to the people of Gaza. What this means is that from the very first communication, Israel had decided to play a defensive role about the impact of the war on civilians. Now, keep in mind that this was a defensive war for Israel, after having been shelled for years in the areas surrounding Gaza by thousands of rockets. But that didn’t matter to the world media, which, frankly, simply followed the lead of Israel’s communications effort by pointing out how wrong the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were for hurting anyone but Hamas terrorists in the battles.

The important lesson is the impact of communications in a war situation.

Now, let’s take a look at the end of the war. Israel had decided to impose a unilateral ceasefire, and prime ministerial candidate Binyamin Netanyahu announced his view that the job had not been completed. He said, "I believe that in the face of Hamas’s terror and its Iranian backing, we must show no weakness and we must show a resolute, iron fist, until the enemy is vanquished."

What I found fascinating was the response of Public Security Minister Avi Dichter (Kadima), who said, "Everyone knows the IDF won. Only Netanyahu thinks we did not win."

Now, wait a second. And here’s the power of communication. Did Netanyahu say that the IDF had lost? At the same time, was Dichter lying when he said Netanyahu thought Israel did not win?

Communications surrounding a war are meaningful. And whether it’s Nasser saying Egypt was winning the Six-Day War, FDR’s D-Day prayer in 1944 or Ehud Olmert apologizing for a defensive war in 2009, we all must understand the impact of war, not only of the weapons, but of the words as well.

 

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