Remembering the Past Within the Present: Military Video Releases of Palestinian Islamic Jihad

With the global community’s gaze toward ongoing conflicts within the Middle East, and specifically the violence occurring in the Gaza Strip, there has been increased reporting and analysis of Hamas’ presence and activity within the region. However, there has been limited analysis of the actions and messaging of other prominent regional groups, such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). This research utilises a Visual Content Analysis to assess the messaging of PIJ throughout six years of the group’s digital media releases distributed via Telegram. The group’s releases demonstrate the utility and centrality of narrative development and dissemination within the wider discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and inter-Palestinian power struggles. The video releases of PIJ demonstrate that a core functionality of their online media presence is to establish their group’s history and to assert narrative control. This narrative speaks of the group’s victories in past battles, the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and the demonisation of its enemies. Through brand management, post-production editing, and careful storytelling, PIJ utilises its social media to support its military campaign, chronicle its history, and increase its popularity amongst the Palestinian people and within the wider geopolitical spaces in which it functions.