Chinese-owned TikTok is amplifying pro-Osama Bin Laden content to brainwash young Western influencers who were not born or too young to register the horrors of 9/11 attacks, an intelligence assessment of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip says. The assessment, accessed by News18, says the disinformation has led several young Western content-makers and influencers to believe Bin Laden was a freedom fighter not a terrorist.
Several media reports had recently pointed out how Bin Laden’s “Letter to America” was being shared on TikTok, sparking a fierce debate about US backing for Israel in its current war against Hamas.
Bin Laden was the mastermind of the September 11 attacks 22 years ago that killed nearly 3,000 people by crashing passenger jets into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. The White House had sharply criticised the online phenomenon and TikTok said it was taking measures to remove the posts involved.
The transcript included Bin Laden’s assertion that the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001 due to its support of Israel. Bin Laden’s message, released a year after 9/11, outlined his objections to Western activities in Muslim nations, condemning the United States for its backing of Israel and its approach towards the Palestinian regions.
The origin of the viral trend has been pinned by various media outlets on a video posted by a TikTok influencer with 12 million likes on her profile.
“I need everyone to stop what they’re doing right now and go read — it’s literally two pages — go read ‘A Letter to America’,” the influencer wrote. “Come back here and let me know what you think. Because I feel like I’m going through like an existential crisis right now, and a lot of people are. So I just need someone else to be feeling this too.”
The letter was received with widely positive comments by social media users with trending searches on TikTok including “Osama letter to America summary” and “a letter to America explained”.
After nearly 10 years as the world’s most wanted man, bin Laden was tracked down and killed by US special forces at his compound in Pakistan in 2011.
Perception War
According to the intelligence assessment of the Israel-Hamas war, the latter is using the recent release of hostages to boost its image. Israel, on the other hand, might be losing the perception war.
“Hamas is using it (the release of hostages) to maximise positive PR for itself, but that won’t change the course of the war… It will make it harder for Israel to gain public support abroad because so much of it was focused on releasing the hostages,” the assessment says.
According to the assessment, Hamas are seen as standing up for Palestinians against a more powerful oppressor. “Hamas probably has more recruits now than ever before.”
Day 2 of Ceasefire
Hamas was expected to swap more of its hostages on Saturday for prisoners held by Israel on the second day of the ceasefire that has allowed critical humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and given civilians their first respite after seven weeks of war.
On the first day of the four-day ceasefire, Hamas released 24 of the about 240 hostages taken during its October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war, and Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison. Those freed from captivity in Gaza were 13 Israelis, 10 Thai nationals and a citizen of the Philippines.
Under the agreement, Hamas will release one Israeli hostage for every three prisoners freed.
During the four days, Hamas is to release at least 50 Israeli hostages, and Israel 150 Palestinian prisoners, all woman and minors.
Israel has said the truce can be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed — something United States President Joe Biden said he hoped would come to pass.
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