Kony 2024

The online activism for Rafah is just as hollow as Kony 2012, and equally effective

It’s Kony 2024. If you frequent Instagram like millions of Americans, you will have noticed a new image taking over your timeline, shared by everyone from your high school friend in Iowa to your favorite body positivity influencer. The AI generated template, shared by 47 million people, depicts a refugee camp nestled in the, um, snow-capped mountains of Gaza, along with the words “All Eyes on Rafah”. Though the call to action is pretty simple -- drawing our eyes to what is happening in Rafah – it seems that none of the participants in this new meme-tifada are curious to do what they are encouraging everyone else to - look.

If they looked they’d learn of course that the situation is vastly more complicated than the way it’s portrayed by say Grey’s Anatomy ‘s Giacomo Gianniotti on his Story. The strip of land in the south of Gaza is now home to over one million refugees who were moved there by the IDF over the course of several weeks as an attempt to exclude them from the fighting. Unfortunately, they’re not the only residents. Rafah is the refuge of last resort (when the Four Seasons of Doha is not available) of Hamas leaders who are still very active in directing attacks on Israel, (like the one earlier this week) as well as presumably 125 Israeli hostages, ranging from 1 year old to 84, who were snatched off their beds, bikes, and dance floors eight months ago. 

This of course is not permission to bomb the whole place into oblivion, fake snowy mountains be damned. But that’s not what is being done, and frankly not how wars are fought by democracies. The IDF carefully selects its targets, using the appropriate munitions to ensure maximal impact with minimal damage. Updates about operations and tactical accomplishments are out there in the open for all to see, if they choose to do so. And, if you are still not convinced of the need, three IDF soldiers were killed Wednesday in a booby-trapped building in, you guessed it, Rafah.

Clearly, war is anything but sterile. In an IDF attack on Hamas’s West Bank operation leaders in Rafah earlier this week, about a mile away from the edge of the humanitarian zone, fire that erupted from a potential secondary explosion engulfed tents in flames, leading to the deaths of over 35 people, according to Palestinian sources. The horrifying photos of charred bodies, to which no one can remain indifferent to, were quick to disseminate on social media, speaking to people’s genuine feeling of pain and helplessness. And when people feel strongly, they take action – which is how millions of millennials brought down the Ugandan warlord Kony after a YouTube movie about him went viral (citation needed).

If only the online activism for Rafah was as hollow as that of 2012. In the case of the Rafah campaign, the emotional response was deeply embedded with false accusations - of targeted attacks on innocent people and an ongoing genocidal campaign to cleanse the whole territory, of a genocide to please Israel’s never-ending thirst for Palestinian blood. 

Underneath every post calling you to “educate yourself” is an arsenal of lies and half-truths that quickly makes their way into the mainstream. My personal favorite is “indiscriminate bombing”, implying that the IDF doesn’t carefully select and review targets but rather closes their eyes and fires Scarface-style into any mosque or orphanage it can find. When you couple the misinformation (remember when that was all the rage?) with the deafening silence of these Instagram activists on October 8th, 9th and 10th, it’s hard to believe that people want eyes drawn on anything other than their personal allegiance to the right cause. Is silence no longer violence? It is, actually. There is immense pressure to be “on the right side of humanity” by pledging your loyalty to the digital intifada, as seen by campaigns to block celebrities who have been silent on “insert new thing I just learned about on TikTok”, or the creation of lists of Zionists in various industry, to which entry is granted to anyone who still goes to Starbucks (Selena Gomez – Theodore Herzl is not impressed by your activism). The watermelon emoji bully brigades have somehow convinced us that statements like “hate against Jews and Palestinians is wrong” are too controversial, while parroting Hamas talking points is “doing the work”. They work hard to amplify the “good ideas” and silence the bad ones, which is how Jewish Voices for Peace becomes a credible source while Israeli reports are propaganda, and how Canva-wrapped Islamism tickles the algorithm, while Israeli memes are deemed harmful and reported by too many users (if I had to bet, that’s what happened here).

The millions of people posting these memes are not (all) antisemitic narcissists – they are responding earnestly to real images of suffering, and I genuinely believe that the vast majority thinks they are helping an important cause. But letting your emotions lead your actions is the luxury of toddlers, not countries under constant existential threat. Even children know that just because something feels right doesn’t mean it is right. In the real world, things take time. War lacks the crisp, alien feel of AI. Thorough investigations aren’t conducted in 24 hours (the lifespan of an Instagram story), speaking out against war doesn’t mean you’re promoting peace, and there are better things you can do with your eyes than read accounts from Al Jazeera, who have gladly echoed every Hamas-generated bogus claim. 

The only ones to benefit from Israel succumbing to the hashtag wars and halting its operation in Gaza is its target – Hamas. As the elected terrorist leaders lose ground, fighters and infrastructure, one of the few and most effective weapons left are the deaths of its own constituents. For Hamas, the incident in Rafah is not a tragedy, it’s a lifeline. You don’t need to take my word for it, Hamas repeatedly said and proved that Gazans are to be sacrificed in the battle for the holy cause of eliminating Israel. When Israel -- not really wanting to meet them in the middle on this one -- fights back, every loss of uninvolved people is a gift to the PR machine. And the well-meaning activists, they’re being played. I hope they take their own advice and keep their eyes on Rafah – learning how the IDF operates, why it is there in the first place, and what happens if it loses and Hamas wins. And if you are already looking, please let us know if you see any of our hostages there. Demanding their return is the best thing you can do if you want both Israelis and Palestinians to live.