PRACTICAL GUIDANCE
#Hashtags: Which Should You Use?
Pros
Focuses the conversation on the hostages, which is our recommended pro-Israel key message for this war.
Creates a sense of urgency in the unfolding drama of the hostage crisis
Based on a universally humanitarian cause.
Cons
None
Conclusion
Use this hashtag FIRST in every post and comment you share.
Pros
Solidifies a powerful analogy for the world to understand what Israel is truly dealing with (Hamas is not as known to the world as ISIS is).
Connects well to the hostage crisis messaging (“The hostages are being kept by terrorists as bad, or even worse, than ISIS”).
Short and catchy.
Cons
Difficult to understand the first time it’s viewed (because of the repetition of the “isisis” part).
Conclusion
Use this hashtag in addition to others when posting and commenting about any aspect of the war, unless your entire post is about how bad Hamas is, in which case it should be the first hashtag.
Pros
Uses the main hashtag employed by our enemies, but places the blame squarely on a third “actor”: Hamas (not Israel).
Doesn’t ask the user to stand only by Israel.
Cons
Fairly long, but still worth using.
Conclusion
This a very important hashtag to include in any posts that showcase how evil Hamas is, especially when you’re trying to show that getting rid of Hamas is not only good for Israel, it’s good for the Palestinians too. It will eventually become our key message when the hostage crisis is over.
Pros
Offers a counter-narrative to the popular #StandWithPalestine hashtag, so that it’s clear to onlookers that there are those who support Israel too.
Familiar, goes back years in terms of content that has been shared by pro-Israel advocates.
Echos what President Biden said right at the start of the war: We stand with Israel.
Cons
For the Silent Majority” that doesn’t want to take sides, this is a hashtag they won’t feel comfortable endorsing or sharing.
It’s “old school Hasbara”, which unfortunately hasn’t proven itself in the last few decades to provide Israel with the legitimacy it needs.
Conclusion
Avoid using this hashtag in conversations that appeal to the Silent Majority, so as not to turn them off by forcing them to take a side or turn their back on the plight of the Palestinians. If you’re engaged in a debate with a naysayer, there’s no harm in using the hashtag, but we do not recommend engaging the people who are adamantly against Israel so as not to amplify their negative messaging about Israel.
Pros
Reflects reality – it is clear to us that terrorism doesn’t start and end with Hamas in Gaza.
Easy to prove using content.
Echos what President Biden said right at the start of the war: We stand with Israel.
Cons
It’s not believable to most Europeans, Americans, and people living in other Western democracies.
Using scare tactics puts people off, it doesn’t invite them into a conversation.
It can be counterproductive and fall easy prey into the hands of deniers of the events of October 7 or of anything that Israel says or tries to prove to the world (after all, it doesn’t look like the world seems to agree that they’re next).
Conclusion
Do not use this hashtag.
Pros
Offers a counter-narrative to the #PrayForPalestine hashtag, so that it’s clear to onlookers that there are those who support Israel too.
May speak to people who are religiously motivated.
Cons
The Silent Majority that is clearly expressing it doesn’t want to take sides may not feel comfortable using this hashtag without adding #PrayForPalestine, which is a much more trending hashtag.
Conclusion
Avoid this hashtag in conversations that appeal to the Silent Majority, so as not to turn them off by forcing them to take a side. There’s no harm in using the hashtag, but we don’t think it adds much gravitas to the conversation and moreover, it hasn’t been trending.
Some savvy social media specialists are recommending using the hashtag #FreePalestine and geotagging “Gaza” so as to bring pro-Israel content into conversations taking place amongst the anti-Israel and neutral audiences. This does make sense, but it’s a bit too sophisticated to ultimately achieve the goal of changing peoples’ minds. Unless there’s data that confirms the value of this kind of exercise, we’re hesitant to recommend it. It also feels a bit too manipulative.