The assertion that “the first casualty of war is truth” applies not only to violent conflict but also to violent attacks by state authorities on unarmed protesters, as recently occurred in Gaza. Israeli and US officials continue to produce untruths and half-truths about what Palestinians call the Great Return March and Israel's bloody attempts to silence protesters with snipers. Serious media attempts at debunking their warped descriptions are rare.
Hasbara, a form of Israeli propaganda aimed at international audiences, religiously repeated three particular claims, or myths, and US officials, as well as major Western media, have for the large part further spread them: The protests in Gaza were violent; the protests were instigated by the “terrorist” Hamas; and Israel merely acted in self-defense, protecting itself as any sovereign nation would.