Directed Narratives Exploiting the Gaza Tragedy and Reshaping the Arab Incitement Scene
Journalist Nagiba Jalal, editor-in-chief of “Express TV,” presented a special episode of her program “Talk on the Couch,” where she adopted an unconventional approach to a theme that has become a constant headline across screens and platforms: Gaza. However, Nagiba did not stop at mere solidarity; she went further to dismantle a comprehensive narrative that transcends the Palestinian cause towards a regional project exploiting the tragedy to foster organized incitement against Arab nations, primarily Egypt and Morocco.
As is her usual practice, Nagiba displayed considerable courage in presenting facts often overlooked by many. She did not hesitate to name the parties involved, uncover links, and shed light on what happens behind the media and political curtains, in a scene where tears intermingle with calculations, and agendas hide behind devastating humanitarian imagery.
The episode used the media escalation against Egypt as a starting point, revealing that the accusations directed at Cairo regarding the Rafah crossing, the blockade, and the prohibition of aid do not reflect reality but rather serve a narrative that is repeatedly reconstructed in the name of resistance. Testimonials from Hamas leaders, prominent Egyptian YouTubers known for their affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, and carefully selected footage of humanitarian tragedies were all present as emotional mobilization tools, marketed through platforms with clear biases, such as “Al Jazeera Mubasher” and “Arabi 21,” aiming to create a wave of anger directed at the regimes rather than the occupation.
The same pattern, as presented by Nagiba, has begun to surface in Morocco, where some voices, previously known for a leftist or neutral discourse, have turned into forums advocating for Hamas, glorifying Iran, and attacking the state under the pretext of “supporting Palestine.” Specific names were cited during the episode, including former leaders of the Justice and Development Party, influential YouTubers, and journalists who directly or indirectly promote the narrative of the global Muslim Brotherhood.
References to Qatar’s role in feeding this discourse through funding channels and research centers were also highlighted, particularly the “Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies,” directed by Azmi Bishara, whose outputs are considered a primary reference for several influential voices in the Arab world. The episode also brought attention to the stark contradiction between silence regarding the policies of Iran, Turkey, and Qatar, and the organized attack on Arab countries seeking to maintain stability.
The most crucial warning in this episode was the connection made between today’s digital emotional mobilization and events before 2011. The invocation of the same slogans, the same methods, and perhaps even the same outcome, prompted Jalal to pose the question clearly: Are we facing a new wave of “Arab Spring,” but with more precise tools? Public awareness has changed, Jalal asserts, but emotion remains an effective entry point for infiltrating societies, especially when employed in the name of just causes.
Nagiba Jalal called for the restoration of a balanced national discourse and for exposing the parties hiding behind the guise of humanitarian support to promote projects that do not recognize states or their sovereignty. The “resistance” narrative, as it has been utilized, is no longer a liberation project but rather a soft infiltration project, governed from outside the borders and executed with internal tools—media and digital—aimed at destabilizing consciousness before stability.
