The official social media accounts of the Israeli government have been posting their way though the current spate of violence with an unnerving level of smol bean energy.
At a time when over 200 Palestinian civilians and 10 Israeli civilians have been killed, it’s a weird look for Israel’s official social media accounts to be asking for sympathy like an angsty 13-year-old on Tumblr.
It’s also weird that a country with one of the most powerful militaries in the world is personifying itself as scared and exhausted.
was this you pic.twitter.com/m8V5fIjKBU
— Nick Schadegg (@nickschadegg) May 12, 2021
https://twitter.com/mma_marxian/status/1392634119130161152
Ngl a little weird to log on here and watch a colonial entity w nuclear weapons post like a hurt tumblr teen https://t.co/QwP3I2lfaD
— Radio Free Amanda 余美娜 (@catcontentonly) May 12, 2021
That’s not to mention the fact that the official Israeli Twitter account started spamming the timeline with rocket emojis.
Ultimately, the account said it was one emoji for every rocket fired by Hamas, but that meaning feels a little bit lost amid what feels like a blind and aggressive display of patriotism by a country accused of committing alleged war crimes using – you guessed it – rockets.
Israel has lost the diplomatic front in this war. It is now left to emojis. Really, this is pathetic. https://t.co/hUMUgc996Q
— Louis Fishman لوي فيشمان לואי פישמן (@Istanbultelaviv) May 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/andraydomise/status/1394336089356357634
The Israel Dense Forces also got in on the cursed Twitter posts.
🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨
🚨 Sirens sounding in 🚨
🚨 Tel Aviv 🚨
🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 15, 2021
I feel like these sirens are telling me to check my privilege.
Israel’s official social media accounts also started targeting Bella Hadid for speaking up about Palestine.
The Palestinian-American model had been posting about the situation and even attended a rally where everyone chanted “From the river to the see, Palestine will be free.” Israel’s official Twitter account then accused her of wanting to throw “Jews into the sea”.
so either bella hadid shouldn’t be taken seriously bc she’s a model OR she’s so powerful the israeli government has to individually target her via twitterhttps://t.co/KQoEn8TUBP
— sarah hagi (@KindaHagi) May 16, 2021
Of course, that chant is not about throwing Jews into the sea. It’s talking about the contested borders of Israel and Palestine, stretching from the River Jordan in the West Bank to the Mediterranean Sea.
It’s a common chant that seems straightforward enough, but that didn’t stop Israeli social media producers doubling down on TikTok with this puppy-dog-eyed video once again calling out Bella Hadid.
@israelThis is for Bella Hadid. Matching alongside Palestinians advocating to throw Jews into the sea isn’t a good look. Even for a supermodel. ##Israel ##fyp♬ Pain That Lasts – Jacob Yoffee
It’s worth noting that none of this is new. The Israeli government and army have been posting with this smol bean energy for some time now.
Just last month Israel posted a TikTok which referred to the country itself as, uhh, non-binary for some reason. Yep, your enby fave is also responsible for killing over 200 Palestinian civilians.
@israelGet to know Israel ❤️ ##gettoknowme ##gettoknowmechallenge ##Israel ##fyp ##Travel ##funfacts♬ Get to Know You song – Dewey’s Piano Party
There really is a war of narratives taking place online, both between individuals and between governments.
Israel’s cursed social media presence seems to be part of a much, much larger effort to get the global public on side. Judging by its Twitter mentions, it’s not working too well here.
