The Cognitive War between Israel and Hamas:
Implications and Recommendations
Yoram Schweitzer and David Siman-Tov | No. 1601 | May 29, 2022
A cognitive campaign is taking place between Hamas and Israel, that is, a
campaign over determining the “narrative” that will dictate the perception of the
achievements of each side in the local, regional, and even global arenas. Hamas
is investing great effort to inflate its image of power vis-à-vis Israel as it
beleaguers Israel in five arenas: the organization is threatening rocket fire and
terrorist actions from the Gaza Strip, presenting itself as the defender of al-Aqsa
in Jerusalem, operating “resistance” activists in the cities of the West Bank and
among Arab citizens of Israel, and launching rockets from Lebanon. In practice,
Hamas is mainly taking advantage of riots and terrorist attacks rather than
generating them. Hence, Israel faces a systemic challenge of thwarting or at
least disrupting the sophisticated cognitive campaign that Hamas is waging
against Israel. This article analyzes what is at the basis of the narrative that
Hamas has created, examines Israel’s part in cultivating it, and concludes with
principles and steps that could change the face of the cognitive campaign in
Israel’s favor.
A cognitive campaign is effective when it is employed massively and
systematically, combining overt declarations with quiet, behind-the-scenes
or behind-the-keyboard measures that propel groups or lone attackers to
take action. In this way, for a long time now, Hamas has succeeded at
instilling messages in the Palestinian public that suit Hamas’s strategy. The
Israeli public is also buying Hamas’s messages and attributes it with much
greater strength than its actual capabilities. The terrorist attacks and riots
that have taken place in the last two months, including under the
inspiration of Hamas, have taken a heavy toll of Israeli lives and have
received large-scale and intensive media coverage, creating a sense of
anxiety among the public.
The cognitive campaign that Hamas has been waging since Operation
Guardian of the Walls in May 2021 serves several strategic purposes. One
is shifting the current focus of the war away from the Gaza Strip, where
Israel can cause it serious damage through direct military activity, and
toward the arenas of East Jerusalem and inside Israel, where its direct
