How Zionism is mythologized in hasbara
JVL Introduction
Eleanor J Bader reviews Harriet Malinowitz’s recenly published Selling Israel: Zionism, Propaganda, and the Uses of Hasbara.
Hasbara might simply be rendered as “propaganda” but as this book shows it is anchored deeply, in
“a huge network of government ministries, nongovernmental organizations, nonprofit agencies and charities, campus organizations, volunteer groups, watchdog bodies, professional associations, media networks, fundraising operations, and educational programs that aim to fortify a Zionist-defined notion of Jewishness in persons within Israel, the United States, and other countries.”
So Malinowitz deals with hasbara not just as Zionist myths about making the desert bloom in a land without people for a people without land.
It includes the use and misuse of the Holocaust and the presentation of Israel as a rugged, innovative, and pioneering nation where queer identity is respected, environmental sustainability is championed, and Jews are safe.
Bader recommends Selling Israel as providing “both the hard facts and historical background necessary to contest Zionism as the best and only way to combat hatred of Jews”.
RK
This article was originally published by the Indypendent on Fri 7 Nov 2025. Read the original here.
New book unpacks how Zionism is mythologized in hasbara
Malinowitz’s “Selling Israel” provides both the hard facts and historical background necessary to contest Zionism as the best and only way to combat hatred of Jews.
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“Gaza is pummelled into oblivion and the West Bank is increasingly occupied by people eager to eliminate every Palestinian person, peace seems less and less possible.”
But it isn’t all bad news for Gaza. Just take a look at this article from LabourList:
“Delivering in Government: your weekly roundup of good news Labour stories” by Sebastian Salek:
3. Tents for Gaza:
“The UK has delivered over 1,100 family tents to Gaza, with more arriving this week. Each tent can shelter a family of five with a living area and three bedrooms.
With temperatures dropping, and 92% of homes damaged or destroyed, these tents will provide critical shelter for over 12,000 Gazans displaced by the conflict.”
So, there you go, nothing to worry about! I hope the people of Gaza are suitably grateful for such generosity.
Let’s hope supplied UK munitions and RAF surveillance don’t assist the destruction of those tents.