It is just so unbelievably cynical. The prime minister of Israel spent all of Election Day texting scare tweets about Arabs “descending on the polls” in order to “steal the election.” Please take three short seconds to think about what would happen if Mamdani had tweeted before his election, “Jews are heading to the polls in droves. This is a war over New York City.” And then attached a photo of Birkat Cohanim at the Kotel as proof. Now take three more seconds and imagine his tactic working. Then, after Arab citizens gathered themselves up and exercised their nonviolent, legal right to participate in their country’s free and fair election, the change bloc – the good guys. The liberals. The we-are-not-our-government, time-for-a-change, Bibi-must-go guys – say to their fellow citizens, “Sorry, did you think your vote mattered? Oh no no no no no. We’ll throw everything else away before we allow your leaders to have a seat in our government.” And not only will the Hasbarists never admit any of this, but they are sharing some of the exact same photos Bibi used to terrify his base into voting. Only they are pretending to be proud. “Look at our incredible values at work. Look at all these Arabs voting. We just love it so much. Apartheid? Here? In the only democracy in the Middle East? We don’t think so.” Even when the comment section is full of people revealing the truth, admitting they don’t actually think Arabs should have the right to vote, spewing vile, racist comments about the way they are dressed, “what that polling station must have smelled like,” even that is not enough. Hasbara is a drug. It is consumed by addicts who take it to dull the pain of having to confront the truth. And it is constantly being pushed by shameless and aggressive dealers who do not care how dangerous it is.