Is Social Media to Blame for the Declining Support for Israel?

Hillary Clinton recently said that support for Israel is declining in the United States due to social media. Clinton alleged that “totally made up” videos have influenced “not just the usual suspects” (Arabs? Muslims?) but also supposedly ignorant American Jewish youth.

The idea that social media is to blame has become a favorite talking point amongst Zionists. CNN pundit Van Jones recently joked about the “dead Gaza baby” constantly showing up on feeds and alleged that foreign influence is pushing the content. Former Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz also blamed social media, claiming that her “arguments in favor [of] Israel” are not resonating with young American Jews due to Hurwitz having to talk “through a wall of dead children.”

Hurwitz lamented the end of mainstream media’s dominance, which she accurately characterized as biased in favor of Israel. For Clinton, Jones, and Hurwitz, faulting social media, rather than Israel’s policies, has become a comforting explanation for people deeply disinclined to find fault in anything Israel does.

The fact is, public support for Israel has been declining for years in America, long before Palestine was a trending topic on social media. And even a diet of mainstream media would be enough to turn any conscientious person against the Israeli regime. Moreover, social media does not imbue beliefs into a passive mind, but rather reflects existing sensibilities.

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