Video shows Israel president's independence day message, not thank you to Muslim activists

"Israeli President Isaac Herzo (sic) said thank you for the visit of his 5 guests from Indonesia," read a Facebook post that shared the video on July 24, 2024.

The clip was shared after a Nahdlatul Ulama activist posted a photo showing members of the group meeting the Israeli president on July 7.

The visit drew criticism from the NU Executive Board, whose deputy leader for international relations was quoted calling it inappropriate at a time when countries were distancing themselves from Israel over the Gaza war (archived link).

The clip shows Herzog speaking to camera in English, with Indonesian subtitles that read: "I thank you very much for the visit to my country, my brothers and sisters."

The subtitles go on to quote Herzog referring to the NU activists as "buzzers" for Israel, referring to online opinion influencers who spread narratives -- often false -- about a particular issue.

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Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on August 7, 2024

The falsely subtitled video made the rounds on X here and here and on YouTube here and here -- where it was viewed more than 33,000 times in total -- as Israel's war in Gaza raged on.

The war was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 39 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 39,690 people, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.

Indonesia -- the world's most populous Muslim nation -- has no diplomatic relations with Israel and is a staunch supporter of Palestinian independence (archived link).

Jakarta has called for a resolution to the Gaza conflict based on internationally agreed parameters set by the United Nations, which include a two-state solution.

Indonesian news site Suara.com reported that NU Executive Board Chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf apologised for the Israel visit by five of the organisation's members, and said members were prohibited from engaging in relations with Israel (archived link).

The clip, however, is unrelated to the NU members' reported visit.

Independence day message

A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the video found the footage posted on the Israeli president's official YouTube channel on May 14 (archived link).

The two-minute, 38-second-long video is titled: "Israel at 76: A special message from President Herzog to Jewish communities around the world".

Its description reads: "As Israel marked its 76th Independence Day under the shadow of war, and with 132 hostages still being held in captivity by Hamas in Gaza, Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog sent an important message to Jewish communities around the world."

Below is a screenshot comparison between the video used in the false posts (left) and Herzog's video (right):

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Screenshot comparison between the video used in the false posts (left) and Herzog's video (right)

The clip falsely shared online corresponds to the first one-minute and 48-seconds of Herzog's video.

In the video, Herzog speaks about the "enormous pain and loss" felt on Israel's 76th independence day following Hamas' October 7 attack.

At no point in the video does he mention Indonesia or a visit by NU members.