Commentary identifies tactics used by hasbara social media trolls

A commentary piece outlines methods for identifying and combating ‘hasbara’ trolls on social media. The author describes hasbara as a communications arm used to shift narratives in favor of Israel.

Identified tactics for these online actors include the excessive use of laughing emojis, the use of derogatory language, and the use of ‘whataboutery’ to avoid direct questions. Other noted behaviors include reframing conflicts as religious wars, making biblical claims to land to erase Palestinian history, and accusing critics of antisemitism or Nazism. The piece also notes the use of ‘mirroring’—accusing critics of the very traits they point out—and the practice of deleting offensive comments to manipulate the appearance of a conversation.