RR The Wire 1800Z November 18, 2023
BLUF: TWITTER/X CRACKS DOWN ON CONTENT AS CONFLICT CONTINUES IN MIDDLE EAST.

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-International Events-

Middle East Front: Questions mount as BBC coverage of recent Israeli actions casts doubt on official narratives. As Israel consolidates the northern pocket around Gaza City, very little evidence surfaces of what was allegedly a Hamas stronghold under al Shifa Hospital. AC: Hamas almost certainly uses every subterranean structure in Gaza, to some degree. MSM reporting has indicated that this degree is somewhat overstated by Israeli forces. Finding ~10 rifles does seem to confirm Hamas presence…but this is not evidence of what is supposed to be a major stronghold. Of course, the grand question remains: How much equipment is being moved prior to Israeli forces overrunning Hamas positions? At this time, this cannot be known. However, most Counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine indicates that the withdrawal of equipment is probably unlikely, as most militants tend to emplace weapons in caches, moving between each cache unarmed. This would mean that if Hamas used a location, there would likely be substantial evidence of it. However, the lack of clarity of the situation on the ground is likely playing a factor as well; for every known COIN tactic, there is an alternative opinion. For instance, the IDF has only identified a few rocket launch sites, yet we know Hamas uses these munitions as their main ranged weapons.

-HomeFront-

USA: Pro-Palestine protests begin to increase in severity. The DNC HQ in Washington D.C. was targeted by demonstrators, along with many key landmarks around the city. Public transportation services have consistently been disrupted due to demonstrations in many major US cities.

On Twitter/X, Elon Musk reverses his content moderation position on the conflict in Gaza as advertisers threaten to remove advertising accounts. This follows Musk’s recent observations on the severe rhetoric on the platform. AC: In less than 24 hours after Musk’s comments, X will now begin suspending accounts that post Pro-Palestine phrases. It is unclear as to if the severe rhetoric that prompted Musk’s original comments will also be deleted.

-Analyst Comments-

Admin Note for Posterity: As mentioned previously, the Israel/Palestine conflict is one of the oldest and most severe conflicts in human history. This results in anyone who gets too close to the issue being targeted by organized governmental action, private companies, or cancel culture from one’s own supporter base.

Unlike the Ukrainian War, in which some level of dissenting opinion was socially acceptable (if nothing else on a technical and tactical level), in this conflict neutrality is not socially acceptable by either side. On the one hand, most who are not 110% supportive of Israel will likely face dire financial consequences. On the other hand, Pro-Palestine movements and groups do not necessarily embody a worldview that is compatible with much of western society. For now, the calls for the cessation of the targeting of civilians are a uniting factor for most of the world…but in due time age-old cultural differences will begin to fracture this unity, and result in more conflict than before.

As such, most journalistic content regarding this conflict has never been more carefully worded. This will likely result in future coverage of the Gaza war (more specifically the information war) being watered-down or slowing as the risks of sharing information unfortunately outweigh the necessity of sharing the whole truth. After several years of people losing their jobs for doing what they believe is right, with very few people willing to support such endeavors in the long run, the coverage of the most intensely vitriolic topic in human history is not something to be taken lightly.

The Wire - November 18, 2023