During and right after its war against Iran in June, Israel had the upper hand in the battle for the narrative, helped by the general opposition in the West to the Iranian nuclear program and the Islamic regime’s negative image.
Additional factors in the Jewish state’s favor were admiration for its extraordinary accomplishments in the war and – prior to that – the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirming Israel’s warning about the advanced stage of Iran’s quest for a nuclear device.
The fact that Israel’s hasbara (“public diplomacy”) campaign mostly ignored what various commentators on Israeli TV were saying also contributed to its success.
As time has passed, public support has, inevitably, began to taper off. Israel now stands accused of thwarting a diplomatic settlement.
Add to this the undisguised antisemitic agitation by the extremes of both the far Left and far Right in the United States. They claimed that Israel had disingenuously influenced the US administration to join it in the assault on Iran in a “wag the dog” fashion.
On the other hand, Israel’s case was supported by statements, such as the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s pronouncement that its actions against Iran were “the dirty work on behalf of all of us.” But neither the US’s participation in the war on Israel’s side nor its results have profoundly altered the world’s love/hate relationship with Israel.
AFTER OCTOBER 7, there may have been those who genuinely believed that a Nuremberg-style international court would be set up to probe crimes committed by Hamas. Instead, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague issued arrest warrants for the leaders of those who were attacked victims, Israel’s prime minister and defense minister; Israeli reservists vacationing in Belgium were stopped by the police for investigation.
The IDF, battling the remnants of Hamas, which by its own admission had planned genocide against the whole population of Israel, is itself falsely accused of that same crime.
Bar-Ilan University has recently published, in both Hebrew and English, a comprehensive in-depth study of the different civilian and humanitarian aspects of the Gaza situation. Its conclusions may be controversial, and they probably won’t have the current misconceptions and deliberate falsifications, but perhaps it will help, at least in certain quarters, to present a more balanced picture of the situation.
Unfortunately, a large proportion of the world has no interest in the facts. Self-interest and all sorts of agendas not necessarily related to the issue at hand, are their concerns. Covert and overt antisemitism on both the extreme Left and Right are fueled by the widening Islamic infiltration of most Western countries.
Antisemites have a single goal: to damage Israel and if possible destroy it whatever its policies and whichever its government.
As often in history, the extreme Right and extreme Left are converging and foreign politicians and statesmen are often far from oblivious of the effect antisemitic voters might have on their careers and political futures.
In populations that are actively or passively motivated by antisemitism and anti-Israelism, public diplomacy or pro-Israel PR are useless. However, those groups, though sometimes abetted by Israeli and Jewish American radical left-wingers, do not constitute a majority, certainly not among the American public.
Most people may not have definite sympathies either way, and it is to them that public diplomacy should be mostly directed as it is they who can make a difference.
To those who yell “Free Palestine,” the answer should be that “Palestine” was freed 77 years ago from colonial rule and it has reverted to its original name – Israel.
The Trump administration should be praised for taking practical, legal, and financial measures against the poisonous sources of antisemitism at US universities – not forgetting, however, that there are antisemitic and anti-Israel factions also among Trump’s MAGA supporters, such as media personality Tucker Carlson.
No one knows how to handle Israeli public diplomacy
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY in Israel has been an issue that no one has known how to handle successfully.
Various governmental organizations and NGOs have sought to control the field, obtaining budgets allocated for hasbara, even while lacking the necessary skills and/or motivation.
Nor has there been a guiding hand with regard to the aims of our public diplomacy.
In wartime, sufficient attention is not always paid to the crucial importance of maintaining credibility, as well as reporting in real time to avoid lagging behind enemy propaganda. The IDF spokesperson usually does a good job, but the military format can be a disadvantage when working with the international media.
In spite of rampant antisemitism, or rather because of it, the actions of Jewish organizations in the US, such as the Jewish Federations of North America, the American Jewish Committee, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Presidents Conference, and others – representing various sectors of American Jewry including the Conservative and Reform movements – are more important now than ever.
Their links to Israel and their desire for unity in response to mounting antisemitism are key motivating factors in this respect.
Evangelical Christians are another crucial factor. It is vital that Israel not discriminate against the various groups. Statements by government ministers and various politicians can sometimes cause more damage than benefit, whether as a result of paucity of knowledge or personal political bias.
Israeli academics teaching abroad also may play a positive role, though there are also those on the radical Left who fuel the anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda.
Radio and TV channels are available to everyone, including Israel and its enemies, but additional methods of penetration and dissemination can also be developed and, as The Economist noted, the side able to exploit other means, including advanced technology and AI, as well as creating special channels for diverse populations, will come out on top in the struggle for public opinion.
IT MUST be stressed that public diplomacy is a means of advancing policy, not a substitute for it, although in view of the current populist trends, it is not always clear who is leading whom.
One interpretation of the term “hasbara” is propaganda. While the concepts of “public diplomacy” and propaganda sometimes overlap, they are not identical.
Propaganda refers to means of achieving a specific, focused goal, and as such, its purpose is usually transparent to its target audience.
However, public diplomacy, not to be confused with “information warfare” or “psy-ops” (which are part of warfare) is designed to create a general positive attitude toward a country and its actions. It rests to a great extent on its credibility, a neglect of which is liable to detract from its goals.
Israel may have erred sometimes by failing to emphasize its fundamental aims and Zionist values. Let us not forget that all diplomacy, including public diplomacy, is designed to promote national goals.
The writer, a former MK, served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States from 1990 to 1993 and 1998-2000.