Amplifying the threat of “civil war” through religious disputes

What it claims

Local disputes over Shabbat observance are portrayed as the inevitable start of a large-scale violent conflict between secular and religious communities. The manipulation exploits the presence of politicians at protests to depict Israel as a country disintegrating from within ahead of the elections.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• New clashes are breaking out between Israelis over the failure to observe Shabbat, turning religious disputes into open warfare on the streets of Jerusalem.

  Press TV Hebrew (Telegram), 9 Aug 2026

  t.me/PresstvHebrew/3823

• Opposition politicians are using Haredi protests near cafes to ignite a massive political struggle before the elections, leading the country toward a split.

  Press TV Hebrew (Telegram), 9 Aug 2026

  t.me/PresstvHebrew/3823

We link archived copies rather than the posts themselves, so that checking our work sends no traffic to the source. Where a platform cannot be archived, we print the post's address instead of linking it.

Goal

To deepen internal divisions in Israeli society and demoralize the home front with a sense of inevitable internal collapse.

Techniques used

• Exaggeration or MinimisationTurning a local incident at a cafe into a “broad political struggle” and a harbinger of nationwide clashes.
• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceUsing the term “clashes” to describe protests to instill fear of civil violence.

The real grievance it exploits

Real tensions between secular Israelis and Haredi communities regarding the character of public space and equality of obligations.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Notice how Iranian outlets like PressTV focus on local protests to create an illusion of chaos. Their goal is to convince you that Israel is falling apart, even though democratic debates and protests are a normal part of life in a free society.

Sources (all time)

• Press TV Hebrew (Telegram)Tier 1376 subscribers
  1 post · 9 Aug 2026

  • 9 Aug · t.me/PresstvHebrew/3823
• Press TV (Telegram)Tier 193,510 subscribers
  2 posts · 20–29 Jul 2026

  • 29 Jul · t.me/presstv/200718
  • 20 Jul · t.me/presstv/199613