Organized Distortion

As usual with crises in our region, and when a war breaks out as a result of a misadventure or in service of regional agendas, the battle has two fronts: one on the ground and another in the public sphere that waged to distort the discourse and divert attention away from the big picture.
This happened after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 by Al-Qaeda and then its terrorism in Saudi Arabia. It happened after the 2006 war in Lebanon, which broke out because of Hezbollah’s adventurism, after the US invasion of Iraq, and with the emergence of ISIS in Iraq and its spread throughout our region.
This organized distortion was also seen during what was falsely called the Arab Spring, and the traditional media also bear responsibility for all of this. Leaked video and audio were used widely during this period, until they were eventually forged. The most glaring is the "Abu Adas" video published to spread misinformation about the assassination of the late Rafik Hariri.
And now the same organized distortion is being seen after the Israeli war on Gaza, with the aim of distracting the public from seeing the big picture and asking serious questions.
This distortion is now on the media and social networks, and use of all the latest technology to fabricate and deceive. This happens because there are those who do not want to raise serious questions: What are the objectives of the October 7 operation? What did it want to achieve? What has Hamas achieved so far? And what cost have the people of Gaza paid for the moment, in blood, lives, and savings?
We are facing organized distortion, as they do not want us to ask questions about the timing of the operation. Why was it launched now? It reunified a divided Israeli society that had been split between supporters and opponents of Netanyahu, who is now trying to turn the tables and go from being a washed up politician awaiting prison to a politician vying for a comeback as a national hero.
Facing accusations of corruption, Netanyahu, who had divided the Israeli society with his judicial reforms, and whose ties were tense even with the US president, now says that whoever can't withstand Washington's pressure doesn't deserve to be in office.
How did this political outcast threatened with prison turn into a prime minister leading a war with Washington's support now? Who led us here as a result of a misreading that led to an unexpected, unequal war with unclear objectives?
We are facing organized distortion. The Muslim Brotherhood and Iran don't want serious questions asked about Tehran and Hezbollah abandoning Hamas. Their narrative of a unity of arenas has proved empty.
The most important question now: could Lebanon bear the costs of a new war if one were to break out? Is it acceptable for Israel and Hezbollah to agree on a return behind the Litani River? And if it happens, is it acceptable for Hezbollah to agree to avoid war with Israel, while it rages on in Gaza?
In conclusion, their distortion aims to avert serious questions about the future of Gaza, who will govern it after Hamas, for fear of hearing that "enough means enough" and that Hamas must leave Gaza to avoid further bloodshed.
Thus, this is organized distortion, and those concerned should focus on the big picture, marginal battles and incitement campaigns to paint rivals as traitors carried out by what I call "keyboard jihadists" among the supporters of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Iranian groups.