Since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza, Israel has faced a two-front war: a physical battle on the ground and a relentless information war designed to erode its legitimacy on the global stage. As a recent opinion piece in The Jerusalem Post argued, traditional methods of correcting misinformation are no longer sufficient in a digital ecosystem saturated with anti-Israel narratives.
To find a more effective playbook, Israel can look to Taiwan, a nation that has become a global leader in combating sophisticated, state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, primarily from China.
The Taiwanese Model: A Multi-Layered Defense#
Taiwan’s approach is not merely reactive; it is a comprehensive, whole-of-society strategy. Facing millions of documented disinformation incidents annually, Taiwan has built a resilient defense system that integrates government, civil society, and the private sector.
1. Institutional and Academic Collaboration: Taiwan has fostered a robust research infrastructure, with institutions like National Chengchi University and Academia Sinica analyzing disinformation tactics. The government established a dedicated Cognitive Warfare Research Centre to formally investigate and counter these influence operations.
2. A Thriving Civil Society: Rather than centralizing all efforts within the government, Taiwan empowers a vibrant network of independent fact-checking organizations like the Taiwan FactCheck Center, MyGoPen, and Cofacts. These civic groups are crucial for identifying falsehoods quickly and maintaining public trust.
3. Technological Innovation: Leveraging its tech-savvy population, Taiwan has developed advanced AI-driven tools to detect and flag disinformation. Organizations like Taiwan AI Labs are at the forefront of creating technology that can identify coordinated inauthentic behavior and deepfakes at scale.
4. Public Education and Media Literacy: A core pillar of Taiwan’s strategy is proactive public education. By investing in media literacy programs, the government aims to equip its citizens with the critical thinking skills needed to identify and resist manipulative content, thereby building long-term societal resilience.
Actionable Lessons for Israel#
While the context is different, Israel can adapt key elements of Taiwan’s successful model to bolster its own information defense.
- Decentralize the Fight: Israel should move beyond a state-centric
hasbaramodel and empower a diverse ecosystem of actors. This includes funding independent fact-checkers, supporting academic research on information warfare, and partnering with tech startups in the “Silicon Wadi” to develop new defensive technologies. - Invest in Resilience: A long-term strategy requires investing in media literacy from a young age. By integrating digital citizenship and critical thinking into the national curriculum, Israel can cultivate a more discerning public that is less susceptible to manipulation.
- Build International Coalitions: Disinformation is a global threat. Israel should actively build coalitions with other democracies, including Taiwan, to share intelligence on tactics, co-develop countermeasures, and present a united front against authoritarian influence operations.
- Demand Platform Accountability: Following Taiwan’s lead, Israel must establish a clear regulatory framework that requires social media platforms to take responsibility for the content they host. This includes greater transparency and cooperation in tackling bot networks and state-sponsored propaganda.
The information battlefield is one where victory is not achieved through defensive corrections alone. By adopting a proactive and multi-layered strategy inspired by Taiwan, Israel can move from a reactive posture to one of strategic initiative, safeguarding its digital sovereignty and reclaiming the narrative.