View source for Hasbara

{{Short description|Public relations work by the State of Israel}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
The [[public diplomacy]] of [[Israel]], or '''hasbara''' ({{Langx|he|הַסְבָּרָה}}), includes [[mass communication]] and individual interaction with [[foreign national]]s through [[social media|social]] and [[Old media|traditional media]], as well as [[cultural diplomacy]]. Organizations involved include the [[IDF Spokesperson's Unit]], [[Prime Minister's Office (Israel)|Prime Minister's Office]], [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]], and pro-Israel civil society organizations. Historically, these efforts have evolved from being called "[[propaganda]]" by early [[Zionism|Zionists]] (when the term was considered neutral), with [[Theodor Herzl]] advocating such activities in 1899,<ref name="Gideon Kouts 2016">{{Cite journal|last=Kouts|first=Gideon|year=2016|title=From Sokolow to 'Explaining Israel': The Zionist "Hasbara" First "Campaign Strategy Paper" and Its Applications|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26624281|journal=Revue Européenne des Études Hébraïques|issue=18|pages=103–146|jstor=26624281|issn=1280-9640|access-date=1 August 2021|archive-date=1 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801005316/https://www.jstor.org/stable/26624281|url-status=live}}</ref> to the more contemporary Hebrew term ''hasbara'' introduced by [[Nahum Sokolow]], which roughly means "explaining".<ref>{{cite web|title= Understanding Hasbara: Israel's propaganda machine|url= https://www.newarab.com/news/understanding-hasbara-israels-propaganda-machine|website=[[The New Arab]]|date=18 November 2023|last=Hamad|first=Sam|access-date=1 October 2025}}</ref> This communicative strategy seeks to justify actions and is considered reactive and event-driven.

== Characteristics ==
Different terms have been used to describe Israel's and other actors' efforts to reach audiences abroad. ''Hasbara'' was formally introduced to the Zionist vocabulary by [[Nahum Sokolow]].<ref name="Gideon Kouts 2016" /> ''Hasbara'' ({{langx|he|הַסְבָּרָה}}) has no direct English translation, but roughly means "explaining". It is a communicative strategy that "seeks to explain actions, whether or not they are justified".<ref>{{cite web|author=Avi Hyman|date=September 10, 2004|title=The Hasbara Hijack|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/4175|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712184358/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/4175|archive-date=July 12, 2007|access-date=August 8, 2014|publisher=[[Arutz Sheva]]}}, from archive.org</ref> As it focuses on providing explanations about one's actions, ''hasbara'' has been called a "reactive and event-driven approach".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Public diplomacy in Israel – is it a lost cause?|url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/public-diplomacy-in-israel-is-it-a-lost-cause-386459|access-date=2021-08-01|website=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|date=January 2015|language=en-US|archive-date=1 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801005316/https://www.jpost.com/opinion/public-diplomacy-in-israel-is-it-a-lost-cause-386459|url-status=live |issn=0792-822X}}</ref>{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021}}{{pn|date=November 2025}} Most early practitioners of what became known as ''hasbara'' were Arabic-speaking Jews who published papers in Arabic to explain Zionism's goals to Arabs. These efforts were led by Arabic-speaking Jews like Nissim Malul, Shimon Moyal, Esther Moyal, Avraham Elmalih, and Yehuda Burla.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jacobson |first1=Abigail |last2=Naor |first2=Moshe |title=Oriental neighbors: Middle Eastern Jews and Arabs in mandatory Palestine |date=2016 |publisher=Brandeis University Press |location=Waltham, Massachusetts |isbn=9781512600070 |pages=89}}</ref> In 2003, [[Ron Schleifer]] called ''hasbara'' "a positive-sounding synonym for 'propaganda'".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schleifer |first1=Ron |title=Jewish and Contemporary Origins of Israeli Hasbara |journal=Jewish Political Studies Review |date=Spring 2003 |volume=15 |issue=1/2 |page=123 |jstor=25834565 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25834565 |access-date=26 February 2024 |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029213751/https://www.jstor.org/stable/25834565 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Israeli practitioners tend to label their communicative efforts public diplomacy, not ''hasbara''. They consider a focus on "explaining" too defensive and prefer to actively determine the agenda by being less reactive and more proactive, moving to a more comprehensive, long-term strategic approach.{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021}}{{pn|date=November 2025}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Shenhav |first1=Shaul R. |last2=Sheafer |first2=Tamir |last3=Gabay |first3=Itay |year=2010 |title=Incoherent Narrator: Israeli Public Diplomacy During the Disengagement and the Elections in the Palestinian Authority |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/isr.2010.15.3.143 |journal=Israel Studies |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=143–162 |doi=10.2979/isr.2010.15.3.143 |jstor=10.2979/isr.2010.15.3.143 |s2cid=143966369 |issn=1084-9513 |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801005316/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/isr.2010.15.3.143 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kretschmer |first=Lisa-Maria |date=2017-07-25 |title=Imagine there is war and it is tweeted live: an analysis of digital diplomacy in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict |url=https://www.db-thueringen.de/receive/dbt_mods_00032677 |journal=Global Media Journal – German Edition |language=en |volume=7(2017) |issue=1 |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801005318/https://www.db-thueringen.de/receive/dbt_mods_00032677 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gilboa |first=Eytan |date=2006-10-01 |title=Public Diplomacy: The Missing Component in Israel's Foreign Policy |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/13533310600890067 |journal=Israel Affairs |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=715–747 |doi=10.1080/13533310600890067 |s2cid=143245560 |issn=1353-7121 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/abouttheministry/pages/what%20hasbara%20is%20really%20all%20about%20-%20may%202005.aspx |title=What "Hasbara" Is Really All About |publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] |date=2005-05-25 |access-date=2021-08-01 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801005319/https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/abouttheministry/pages/what%20hasbara%20is%20really%20all%20about%20-%20may%202005.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref> Israeli public diplomacy encompasses different forms of communication and other forms of interaction with the public abroad. For instance, Israel engages in open and fully attributable, unidirectional mass communication that targets so far unaffiliated civil populations in other countries (a form of communication Hirschberger defines as "external communication"{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021}}{{pn|date=November 2025}}), both via social media and traditional mass media. The Israeli government uses this type of communication especially to depict Israel positively (a communication strategy Hirschberger calls "branding").{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021}}{{pn|date=November 2025}} The Israeli government and pro-Israeli groups also use interventive communication to counter what they see as attempts at [[delegitimisation of Israel]], e.g., in the context of [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions|BDS]]. The Israeli government also engages in activities beyond communicative efforts in social media and the traditional mass media, e.g., in the form of [[cultural diplomacy]]. The communicative efforts of pro-Israeli civil society groups are partially also called "advocacy".

[[Edward Said]] wrote in 2001 that ''hasbara'' methods used during the [[Second Intifada]] included lunches and free trips for influential journalists; seminars for Jewish university students; invitations to members of Congress; pamphlets and money for election campaigns; telling photographers and writers what to photograph or write about; lecture and concert tours by prominent Israelis; frequent references to the Holocaust; and newspaper advertisements attacking Arabs and praising Israel.<ref>{{cite web |date=2001-08-31 |title=Propaganda and war (by Edward Said) |url=http://www.mediamonitors.net/edward37.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722025653/http://www.mediamonitors.net/edward37.html |archive-date=22 July 2014 |access-date=2014-03-07 |publisher=Media Monitors Network}}</ref> In 2012, the Israeli Foreign Ministry published new guidelines on the appropriate use of social media methods by its diplomatic staff. There have been multiple embarrassing and inappropriate tweets and posts by Israeli embassies, such as one in Ireland criticizing a [[Knesset]] member.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ravid |first1=Barak |date=15 August 2012 |title=Israel's Foreign Ministry Gives Envoys a Lesson on Twitter Diplomacy |url=https://www.haaretz.com/how-to-tweet-for-israeli-envoys-1.5284517 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225024825/https://www.haaretz.com/how-to-tweet-for-israeli-envoys-1.5284517 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |access-date=11 October 2021 |work=[[Haaretz]] |quote=Recent embarrassing Facebook and Twitter posts prompt Foreign Ministry to update social media guidelines for Israeli diplomats around the world.}}</ref>

=== Sources for disseminating information ===
Various branches of the Israeli government as well as pro-Israeli civil society organizations engage in public diplomacy efforts. The [[IDF Spokesperson's Unit|Spokesperson's Unit]] of the [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli Defense Forces]] (IDF) plays a central role in the Israeli government's public diplomacy. The IDF's English-language Facebook page is one of the most-followed army social media pages worldwide.{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021|p=100}} The unit has become Israel's largest spokesperson unit, with more than 400 officers, civilians and soldiers. There is also a reserve unit of almost 1,200 soldiers and officers.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Gilboa|first1=Eytan|last2=Shai|first2=Nachman|date=2011-01-01|title=Rebuilding Public Diplomacy: The Case Of Israel|url=https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789047441755/Bej.9789004179400.i-309_004.xml|journal=Trials of Engagement|language=en|pages=33–54|doi=10.1163/ej.9789004179400.i-309.12|isbn=9789047441755|access-date=1 August 2021|archive-date=31 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220731181140/https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789047441755/Bej.9789004179400.i-309_004.xml|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021|p=100}} As of 2017, the unit has 15 staff members that are responsible only for the IDF's social media platforms to reach audiences abroad. As of 2015, the IDF is active on 30 different social media platforms.{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021|p=101}}<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-01-31|title=British Army unveils 'Twitter troops' for social media fight|url=https://www.channel4.com/news/british-army-military-social-media-unit-twitter-troops|access-date=2021-08-01|website=Channel 4 News|language=en-GB|archive-date=1 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801141813/https://www.channel4.com/news/british-army-military-social-media-unit-twitter-troops|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories]] (COGAT), the IDF unit responsible for coordination and liaison with the Palestinian Authority,<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories |url=https://www.gov.il/en/departments/about/aboutcogat |access-date=2021-08-01 |website=GOV.IL |language=en |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801143312/https://www.gov.il/en/departments/about/aboutcogat |url-status=live}}</ref> has a spokesperson's unit of its own as well as its own social media channels in English and Arabic.{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021|p=102}} Within the Israeli [[Prime Minister's Office (Israel)|Prime Minister's Office]] (PMO), the Government Press Office (GPO), the Public Diplomacy Directorate and the National Information Directorate are involved in public diplomacy efforts.{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021|p=104}} The National Information Directorate is in charge of coordinating "the public diplomacy activities of various governmental bodies in foreign and security affairs, and on socioeconomic issues". The Public Diplomacy Directorate is responsible for communicating the prime minister's and the government's policies and decisions. The directorate is headed by the prime minister's media advisor.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=About Prime Minister's Office|url=https://www.gov.il/en/departments/about/about_pm_office|access-date=2021-08-01|website=GOV.IL|language=en|archive-date=16 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816130854/https://www.gov.il/en/departments/about/about_pm_office|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021|p=104}}

The Israeli [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] (MFA) has a Public Diplomacy Directorate. "The directorate consists of the Media and Public Affairs Division, the Division for Cultural Affairs and Scientific Cooperation and the Bureau for Religious Affairs and Relations with the Jewish Diaspora. The Media and Public Affairs Division comprises one department in charge of 'branding', a department in charge of collecting information, producing visual media content such as videos and drafting policy papers for briefing Israeli missions all around the world, as well as the spokesperson's bureau, which is in charge of the relationship with the press. Furthermore, the division also has an academic department and a small department dealing with issues of civil society affairs, especially the battle against BDS. Finally, the ministry has also a Digital Diplomacy Department, which is in charge of all digital channels of the ministry."{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021|p=104}}{{attribution needed|date=December 2023}}

Various pro-Israel civil society organizations and initiatives in Israel and abroad support Israeli public diplomacy efforts.{{sfn|Hirschberger|2021|p=221}} Prominent examples are [[StandWithUs]], the [[American Israel Public Affairs Committee]] (AIPAC), the [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]] (WINEP), the [[Anti-Defamation League]] (ADL), [[Christians United for Israel]] (CUFI), the [[Israel on Campus Coalition]], the [[AMCHA Initiative]], and [[The David Project]].{{sfn|Shai|2018|p=125-126}} In 2010, the Israeli Ministry of Information and Diaspora Affairs launched the PR campaign "Masbirim Israel". The campaign intended to encourage Israeli citizens to contribute to improving Israel's image by talking with their international contacts about the country.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hershkovitz|first=Shay|date=2012-04-01|title=Masbirim Israel: Israel's PR Campaign as Glocalized and Grobalized Political Prosumption|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764211429366|journal=American Behavioral Scientist|language=en|volume=56|issue=4|pages=511–530|doi=10.1177/0002764211429366|s2cid=145394029|issn=0002-7642|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

=== In the United States ===
{{Main|Israel lobby in the United States}}

According to ''[[The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy]]'' by [[John Mearsheimer]] and [[Stephen Walt]], major American Jewish organizations have played a significant role in advancing an Israeli state narrative to the American public. They quote Rabbi [[Alexander M. Schindler]], former chair of the [[Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations]], saying: "The Presidents' Conference and its members have been instruments of official governmental Israeli policy. It was seen as our task to receive directions from government circles and to do our best no matter what to affect the Jewish community." Similarly, they quote [[Hyman Bookbinder]], a high-ranking official of the [[American Jewish Committee]], as saying: "Unless something is terribly pressing, really critical or fundamental, you parrot Israel's line in order to retain American support. As American Jews, we don't go around saying Israel is wrong about its policies."{{sfn|Mearsheimer|Walt|2007|p=121}}

According to [[Shivi Greenfield]] and [[Nachman Shai]], the Israeli government (particularly the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]], the former Ministry of Public Diplomacy & Diaspora Affairs, and the [[Ministry of Tourism (Israel)|Ministry of Tourism]]) has worked with various Israeli and international non-government organizations to promote Israeli public diplomacy within the global Jewish diaspora and international community. Notable Israeli NGOs involved in public diplomacy have included the [[Jewish Agency for Israel]], [[Israel Project]], [[HonestReporting]], the [[Middle East Media Research Institute]] (MEMRI), and [[Palestinian Media Watch]] (PMW). The Israeli government has also partnered with several Jewish and [[Christian Zionism|Christian Zionist]] NGOs in the U.S. and abroad, including the [[Anti-Defamation League]] (ADL), [[American Israel Public Affairs Committee]] (AIPAC), [[American Jewish Committee]] (AJC), the [[Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations]], [[Christians United for Israel]] (CUFI), the [[Jewish Federations of North America]] (JFNA), and the [[Zionist Organization of America]] (ZOA).<ref name="Greenfield Hasbara Apparatus">{{cite web |date=27 December 2012 |title=The Hasbara Apparatus: Units, Tasks, and Areas of Responsibility |url=http://www.molad.org/images/upload/files/37830581085043.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020220930/http://www.molad.org/images/upload/files/37830581085043.pdf |archive-date=20 October 2021 |access-date=5 November 2021 |publisher=Molad: the center for the renewal of Israeli democracy}}</ref>{{sfn|Shai|2018|p=124-127}}

According to Greenfield and Shai, the Israeli government and sympathetic NGOs, including [[Hillel International]], [[B'nai B'rith]], Israel at Heart, and [[StandWithUs]], have sought to promote sympathy for Israel among university students through study tours (such as [[Birthright Israel]] and [[Masa Israel Journey|Masa Israel]]), talks, meetings, distributing educational materials, distributing educational materials, gift packages, fundraising, and blood donations. These campus outreaches seek to strengthen ties between Israel and the Jewish diaspora and support Jewish students' efforts to combat so-called "anti-Israel" activism on campus such as [[Israeli Apartheid Week]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Greenfield |first1=Shivi |date=27 December 2021 |title=Israeli hasbara: Myths and facts |url=http://www.molad.org/images/upload/files/49381451033828.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020220231/http://www.molad.org/images/upload/files/49381451033828.pdf |archive-date=20 October 2021 |access-date=11 November 2021 |publisher=Molad: the center for the renewal of Israeli democracy}}</ref><ref name="Greenfield Hasbara Apparatus" />{{sfn|Shai|2018|pp=129–30}} Shai identifies the "Israel on Campus Coalition" as the umbrella organization for most pro-Israel American campus organizations. It is funded by the [[Charles Schusterman|Schusterman Foundation]] and Hillel.{{sfn|Shai|2018|pp=129–30}}

Israeli officials have emphasized the importance of molding American public opinion to influence U.S. foreign policy favorably toward Israel. For example, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, "In the last 30 years, I appeared innumerable times in the American media and met thousands of American leaders. I developed a certain ability to influence public opinion." Netanyahu said this in the context of the Israeli government's decade-long effort to pressure for military action against Iran. He added that this "is the most important thing: the ability to sway public opinion in the United States against the regime in Iran."<ref>{{cite news |date=6 September 2019 |title=The Secret History of the Push to Strike Iran |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/04/magazine/iran-strike-israel-america.html?fbclid=IwAR2eCCBLxDn-r6mJrgdLnxNJpUA6St3YeZ1VxuPCYAQFvpGAI7iXCgQ4Auw |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309005040/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/04/magazine/iran-strike-israel-america.html?fbclid=IwAR2eCCBLxDn-r6mJrgdLnxNJpUA6St3YeZ1VxuPCYAQFvpGAI7iXCgQ4Auw |archive-date=9 March 2021 |access-date=28 June 2020 |work=[[The New York Times Magazine]]}}</ref>

=== In Australia ===
According to Shahar Burla, the Israeli Foreign and Public Diplomacy ministries worked with local Australian Jewish community and Zionist organizations such as the local chapter of the [[United Israel Appeal]], the [[Australasian Union of Jewish Students]], the Zionist Council of New South Wales, and the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies to mobilize [[Australian Jews]] into supporting Israeli ''hasbara'' efforts during the [[2010 Gaza flotilla raid]]. The Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs established a "Communications Room" to circulate pro-Israel information to the global Jewish diaspora via email, websites, traditional media, meetings, and demonstrations. Pro-Israel sympathizers were encouraged to share pro-Israel videos and articles on social media platforms, respond to blogs and TV shows, and write editorial letters.<ref>{{cite book |last=Burla |first=Shahar |title=Australia & Israel: A Diasporic, Cultural and Political Relationship |date=2015 |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |isbn=9781845196882 |editor-last1=Burla |editor-first1=Shahar |pages=50–70 |chapter=Chapter 3: Israeli Government and Diaspora Mobilisation: The Flotilla to Gaza and Australian Jewry as a Case Study |editor-last2=Lawerence |editor-first2=Dashiel}}</ref>

==History==
{{Multiple image
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| header            = Examples&nbsp;of&nbsp;Hasbara
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| image1            = Stand-pro-israelien-p1010311.jpg
| alt1              = Stand run by Chrétiens Amis d'Israël denouncing the "new antisemitism" at an exhibition in Lausanne, Switzerland
| caption1          = An example of a Hasbara stand
| image2            = Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Infographics, Gaza Strip Land Crossings Activity During Operation Pillar of Defense.jpg
| alt2              = IDF infographic titled "Gaza Strip Land Crossings Activity During Operation Pillar of Defense". It claims "64 trucks of food were transferred from Israel, 16 trucks of medical supplies were transferred from Israel, 26 patients in need of medical care entered Israel from Gaza"
| caption2          = Hasbara efforts often use [[IDF Spokesperson's Unit|IDF]] posters.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Khan |first1=Maliha |title=The hasbara manipulation: How Israel uses social media to justify bombing hospitals in Gaza |url=https://www.newarab.com/features/how-israel-uses-hasbara-justify-bombing-gazas-hospitals |website=The New Arab |access-date=28 July 2025 |date=1 November 2023}}</ref>
| image3            = Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Infographics, 400 Rockets From Gaza.jpg
| alt3              = Poster showing a burned-out car on a street in Israel. Caption: "400 rockets from Gaza hit Israel in the last 3 days. This must stop. Israel Defense Forces"|<nowiki>]]</nowiki>
| caption3          = An example of a Hasbara poster
| footer            = 
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}}

=== 19th century – 1948 ===
{{see also|Hamaas}}
Among early [[Zionism|Zionists]] it was common to label communicative efforts [[propaganda]]. [[Theodor Herzl]] used the term at the 3rd Zionist Congress in 1899, where he asked fellow Zionists in the audience "to engage in propaganda".<ref name="Gideon Kouts 2016" /> At the time the term "propaganda" was considered neutral. The term is now [[pejorative]]. "Propaganda" is now typically used for official government statements or by critics of pro-Israeli advocacy groups to portray the communication as misleading and manipulative.{{cn|date=July 2025}} The propaganda wing of the [[Irgun]] was a substantial proportion of the organization.<ref>{{cite web |title=Irgun Zeva'i Le'ummi (I.Z.L.) |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/irgun-zevai-leummi-izl |website=[[Jewish Women's Archive]] |language=en}}</ref>

===1970–1999===
Early mentions of the term ''hasbara'' in English mainstream print media<ref>Based on a search of [[nexislexis]] for the term "hasbara" in electronically available "Major U.S. and World Publications", between January 1, 1940, and January 1, 1987</ref>{{original research inline|certain=y|date=December 2023}} date from the late 1970s and describe it as "overseas image-building".<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel Lifts Prohibition On Buying Arab Land; Israel Allows Purchases of Arab Land |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=1979-09-17 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/09/17/israel-lifts-prohibition-on-buying-arab-land/64a8d039-eb55-4ee9-a06f-63ef2b83958f/ |access-date=10 September 2017 |archive-date=27 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827161618/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/09/17/israel-lifts-prohibition-on-buying-arab-land/64a8d039-eb55-4ee9-a06f-63ef2b83958f/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', this work "is called hasbara when the purpose is to reshape public opinion abroad".<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel Moves to Smooth Ties With U.S., Others After Golan Action |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=1981-12-16 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/12/16/israel-moves-to-smooth-ties-with-us-others-after-golan-action/e9b3e350-ba25-4f92-9e4a-5a03cfa8256e/ |access-date=10 September 2017 |archive-date=17 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317120019/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/12/16/israel-moves-to-smooth-ties-with-us-others-after-golan-action/e9b3e350-ba25-4f92-9e4a-5a03cfa8256e/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the early 1980s, hasbara was defined as a "public relations campaign".<ref>{{cite news |title=Numbers Game Clouds Toll in Lebanon; Israel Issues New Low Figures
|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=1982-06-18|quote=For several weeks now, Israel has had under way a hasbara, or public relations campaign, aimed at recuperating from the propaganda battering that the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]], the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] and the Western media based in Beirut inflicted on Israel's image during the early part of the war.}}</ref> In ''[[Newsweek]]'' it was described as "explaining".<ref>{{cite news |title=Beginism Without Begin Today |newspaper=Newsweek |date=1983-09-12|quote=...&nbsp;the diminutive Shamir—he is shorter than Begin—is known in the Jerusalem press corps as 'the tiny terrorist'. He is a strong believer in hasbara, Hebrew for 'explaining'. He believes that by explaining Israel's rationale and historical imperatives, hostile world opinion could be turned around. Hasbara could become one of Shamir's major duties. With its many problems—and a new prime minister—Israel can use all the friends it can get.}}</ref> In 1986, ''The New York Times'' reported that a program for "communicating defense goals" was started in the late 1970s, and a 1984 implementation of a "Hasbara Project" to "train foreign-service officers in communications by placing them with American companies". [[Carl Spielvogel]], chairman of Backer & Spielvogel, traveled to Israel to advise the government on communicating its defense goals. The trip led to the Hasbara Project, an internship program established to train foreign-service officers in communications by placing them with American companies.<ref>{{cite news |title=To Help Israel Improve Public Relations |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1986-06-06 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/06/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-to-help-israel-improve-public-relations.html |access-date=12 February 2017 |archive-date=3 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203042736/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/06/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-to-help-israel-improve-public-relations.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Shmuel Katz (politician)|Shmuel Katz]]'s book ''[[Battleground: Fact and Fantasy in Palestine]]'', published in 1973, was described as "an encyclopedic source-book for those involved in Israel's ''hasbara'' (public relations) effort" by Moshe Phillips, a national director of  [[Herut|Herut North America's]] <!-- Herut North America - https://herutna.org/ -->U.S. section.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shmuel Katz's Legacy |author=Moshe Phillips |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/7991 |publisher=Arutz Sheva |date=2008-05-22 |access-date=2012-01-12 |archive-date=2 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202001707/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/7991 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1977, Prime Minister [[Menachem Begin]] named Katz "Adviser to the Prime Minister of Information Abroad".<ref>{{cite news |title=Adviser to Begin quits to Campaign against Him |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1978-01-06 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9904E1D6123EE632A25755C0A9679C946990D6CF |access-date=12 February 2017 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305164723/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9904E1D6123EE632A25755C0A9679C946990D6CF |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-11-13 |title=Knesset Member, Shmuel Katz |url=http://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=464 |access-date=2023-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041113194955/http://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=464 |archive-date=13 November 2004 }}</ref>

In May 1992, ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]'' reported that American Jewish leaders hardly reacted to news that the Foreign Ministry's hasbara department would be eliminated as part of a sweeping reorganization of the ministry. [[Malcolm Hoenlein]] noted there had been talk of streamlining the ministry's hasbara functions for some time. He said that merging the hasbara department's functions with those of the press department did not portend any downgrading in the priority the [[Likud]] government gives to hasbara abroad. [[Abe Foxman]] reacted similarly, saying he was "not distressed or disturbed", and noted that disseminating hasbara has always been the responsibility of every Foreign Ministry staff officer, especially those working abroad; if eliminating one department means everyone will assume greater responsibility for his or her own efforts in distributing hasbara, then he is all in favor. It also reported that personnel in foreign hasbara departments would be shifted to press departments, which is where much of the work currently done by hasbara officials properly belongs. He explained that Israel's efforts to provide hasbara abroad would focus on media communications.<ref>"American Jews quiet over publicity reform", ''The Jerusalem Post'', 4 May 1992</ref>

{{Campaignbox Second Intifada}}

===2000–2005===
In 2001, Shmuel Katz published a retrospective of Israeli hasbara efforts and said that hasbara "must be tackled not by occasional sudden sallies but by a separate permanent department in the government."<ref>{{cite news |title=Tinkering with 'Hasbara' |url=http://www.freeman.org/m_online/sep01/katz.htm |first=Shmuel |last=Katz |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=August 16, 2001 |access-date=6 April 2009 |archive-date=20 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520054449/http://www.freeman.org/m_online/sep01/katz.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sharon did increase hasbara efforts, but did not create a cabinet-level ministry for that purpose.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosenblatt |first1=Gary |author1-link=Gary Rosenblatt |title=Israel Targets PR, Finally; Sharon calls for bolstering hasbara; Foreign Ministry supporting several projects here |url=https://www.jta.org/2003/12/12/ny/israel-targets-pr-finally |access-date=August 15, 2022 |work=[[The Jewish Week|New York Jewish Week]] |agency=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency|JTA]] |date=December 12, 2003 |archive-date=15 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815200758/https://www.jta.org/2003/12/12/ny/israel-targets-pr-finally |url-status=live }}</ref> Also in 2001, the [[Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel|Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry]],<ref name="www.mfa.gov.il">{{cite web| url= http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Structure+and+departments/What+Hasbara+Is+Really+All+About+-+May+2005.htm | title= What 'Hasbara' Is Really All About | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070601171727/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Structure+and+departments/What+Hasbara+Is+Really+All+About+-+May+2005.htm  | archive-date=1 June 2007 }}. Meir, Gideon, 24 May 2005</ref> the diplomatic arm of the Government of Israel, was a co-sponsor of the [[Hasbara Fellowships]] activities of [[Aish HaTorah]].<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/26/movies/26docu.html |title=Film's View of Islam Stirs Anger on Campuses |first=Karen W. |last=Arenson | date= 26 February 2007 | access-date= 16 April 2017 | archive-date= 17 May 2017 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170517142500/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/26/movies/26docu.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2002, the Israeli State Comptroller's office issued a report critical of Israel's PR efforts. "A lack of an overall strategic public relations conception and objective" and lack of coordination between the various organizations were mentioned. Funding levels are modest; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spent about US$8.6 million on these efforts in 2002, and the Government Press Office was budgeted at US$100,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp487.htm |title=Why Are Israel's Public Relations So Poor? |first=Dan |last=Diker |publisher=Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs |access-date=2014-03-07 |archive-date=4 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004082421/http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp487.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Depictions of children ====
{{further| Use of child suicide bombers by Palestinian militant groups | Palestinian propaganda }}

In 2002, during the [[Second Intifada]], the [[IDF Spokesperson's Unit|Israeli military used]] an image of a Palestinian toddler dressed as a suicide bomber as part of its public diplomacy.<ref name="just fun" /> The photo the IDF provided to international media allegedly showed an 18-month-old child dressed as a suicide bomber. The BBC published the photo but said, "there was no independent confirmation of the authenticity of the photograph".<ref name="just fun" /> The IDF claimed to have found the photo in a private family photo album while raiding a suspect's home.<ref name="just fun" /> [[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] [[Dawn News|News]] reported that the photo was found in the home of a wanted militant named "Al Khalil".<ref name="dawn photo" >{{cite news |title=Argument over baby's picture |url=http://beta.dawn.com/news/45235/argument-over-baby-s-picture |access-date=7 December 2024 |work=DAWN.COM |date=29 June 2002 |language=en}}</ref> According to [[BBC News]], the child's grandfather, Redwan Abu Turki, said the costume was from a rally at the university and "the picture was taken just for the fun of it".<ref name="just fun" >{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2075072.stm |title=Baby bomber photo 'just fun'] |publisher=BBC News |date=June 29, 2002 |access-date=September 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107002201/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2075072.stm |archive-date=January 7, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Israeli newspapers published the photo under headlines such as "Terror in Diapers"<ref name="cnn photo"/> and "Born to Kill".<ref>{{cite news| title=Born to kill (photo caption) | work= The Jerusalem Post | date= June 28, 2002 }}</ref> The image was also shown on Israeli television.<ref name="cnn photo" />

A senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] said, "The photograph of the baby suicide bomber symbolizes the incitement and hatred which the Palestinian leadership have been using to brainwash an entire generation of Palestinian children who have, unfortunately, taken in this message like mother's milk".<ref name="cnn photo" >{{cite web| publisher= CNN | url= http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/06/28/baby.photo/index.html | title= Photo of baby suicide bomber called 'a joke' | date= June 29, 2002 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070221085401/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/06/28/baby.photo/index.html | archive-date= February 21, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="cbs photo" >{{cite news |title=Outrage Over 'Baby Bomber' Pic – CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/outrage-over-baby-bomber-pic/ |work=www.cbsnews.com |date=28 June 2002}}</ref> [[Saeb Erekat]], a Palestinian negotiator and cabinet minister said, "These are lies that they use to cover their own crimes, the murder of our children ... This week alone, six children were killed at the hands of Israeli forces".<ref name="dawn photo" />

The IDF obtained the photo from a family photo album and only used in it public diplomacy; there was no suggestion that photo had been used in Palestinian media or any other [[Palestinian propaganda|organized public communications by Palestinians]].<ref name="just fun" /><ref name="haa" /><ref name="cnn photo" /> Palestinian officials dismissed it as a [[propaganda]] trick, ''[[Haaretz]]'' reported that a Palestinian journalist in the Hebron area said she did not believe the picture was fake and expressed surprise at the furor it caused in Israel, saying: "I can find you many, many photos like this. Many kids imitate adults and wear toy masks and guns, especially during marches. It's not strange at all". She added that she had seen children as young as the one in the photograph wearing similar costumes: "In our society it happens a lot. It's a kind of phenomenon".<ref name="haa" >{{cite news |title=PA minister: Israelis shouldn't be shocked by 'baby bomber' pic |newspaper=Haaretz |date=June 29, 2002 |url=http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=181370&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0 |archive-date=December 6, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051206195110/http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=181370&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0}}</ref>

The BBC report said it was "not uncommon" for Palestinian children to dress as bombers, but did not give other examples.<ref name="just fun"/> Other photos of Palestinian children dressed up as militants, but not suicide bombers, were published in the same BBC report, including a photo of two boys wearing militant insignia and holding what looked like guns, captioned: "The militants are heroes for many Palestinian children".<ref name="just fun"/> Children on both sides of the conflict see combatants from their own side as "heroes" and dress up as them. In 2024 (during the [[Gaza war]]) the most popular [[Purim costume]] for children in Israel was an IDF soldier.<ref name="JPost Purim" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Wartime Purim: In Israel, Sales of IDF Soldier Costumes for Kids Are Surging |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-03-18/ty-article-magazine/.premium/wartime-purim-in-israel-sales-of-idf-soldier-costumes-for-kids-are-surging/0000018e-4ce3-d011-afef-7ef716a80000 |access-date=16 November 2024 |work=[[Haaretz]] |date=18 March 2024}}</ref> [[The Jerusalem Post]] reported a "trend towards choosing real-life heroes over fictional ones" to dress up as for Purim.<ref name="JPost Purim" >{{cite news |title=IDF soldier costumes top the charts for Purim 2024 post Oct. 7 |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-790631 |access-date=16 November 2024 |work= JPost.com [[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=6 March 2024 |language=en}}</ref> The IDF costumes were controversial in the [[Jewish diaspora]].<ref>{{cite news |title=IDF Costume For Kids Causes a Stir |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/israeli-soldier-costume-for-kids-causes-a-stir |access-date=7 December 2024 |work=Tablet Magazine |date=28 October 2015}}</ref>

{{Campaignbox Gaza–Israel conflict}}{{Fatah-Hamas conflict campaignbox}}

=== 2005–2014 ===
{{further| 2006 Palestinian legislative election | Fatah–Hamas reconciliation process |Blockade of the Gaza Strip|Gaza War (2008–2009)}}

In 2008, [[Yarden Vatikay]] was appointed to coordinate Israel's domestic and foreign [[media policy]].<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Jewish Chronicle]] |location=London |last=Pfeffer |first=Anshel |date=February 8, 2008 |url=http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m11s19&SecId=19&AId=57904&ATypeId=1 |title=New media czar lost for a message |access-date=20 February 2008 |archive-date=16 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416194243/http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m11s19&SecId=19&AId=57904&ATypeId=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2009, Israel's foreign ministry organized volunteers to add pro-Israeli commentary on news websites.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hasbara spam alert |last=Silverstein |first=Richard |date=January 9, 2009 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jan/09/israel-foreign-ministry-media?commentpage=3&commentposted=1 |work=The Guardian |access-date=12 December 2016 |archive-date=2 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202020627/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jan/09/israel-foreign-ministry-media?commentpage=3&commentposted=1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Latest hasbara weapon: 'Army of bloggers' |first=Jonathan |last=Beck |date=January 18, 2009 |url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1232292897417&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |work=The Jerusalem Post |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001163236/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1232292897417&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |archive-date=2011-10-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Israel recruits 'army of bloggers' to combat anti-Zionist Web sites |first=Cnaan |last=Liphshiz |date=2009-01-19 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-recruits-army-of-bloggers-to-combat-anti-zionist-web-sites-1.268393 |work=Haaretz |access-date=23 January 2018 |archive-date=13 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013215316/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-recruits-army-of-bloggers-to-combat-anti-zionist-web-sites-1.268393 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A 2010 report produced for the Israeli cabinet by the [[Reut Institute]] and cited by the newspaper ''[[Haaretz]]'' exemplifies the common Israeli view that ''hasbara'' efforts are needed to respond to what it describes as a diffuse "delegitimization network" of anti-Israel activists. As ''Haaretz'' put it, "The network's activists—'delegitimizers' the report dubs them—are relatively marginal: young people, anarchists, migrants and radical political activists." The newspaper also cites the report as saying this network promotes pro-Palestinian activities in Europe as "trendy", and calls for it to be monitored by Israeli intelligence services, and for the cabinet to treat the network as a strategic threat. It concludes that Israel was not prepared to meet the threat this network posed and that a counter-effort must be more vigorously undertaken to respond to it.<ref>{{cite news |title=Think tank: Israel faces global delegitimization campaign |first=Barak |last=Ravid |url=https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/think-tank-israel-faces-global-delegitimization-campaign-1.265967 |newspaper=Haaretz |date=2010-02-12 |access-date=2012-01-12 |archive-date=28 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128061518/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/think-tank-israel-faces-global-delegitimization-campaign-1.265967 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Neil Lazarus]] said in 2012 that what he calls "low budget, grassroots Hasbara 2.0" has come of age, and commends websites that keep track of what supporters see as anti-Israel media bias, and that promote email campaigns on Israel's behalf. He observes that "Israel's hasbara seems to be becoming more dynamic, as the Diaspora takes responsibility", and that "Even day schools and [[Masa Israel Journey|MASA programs]] have been conscripted to the task."<ref>{{cite news |last=Lazarus |first=Neil |url=http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-rise-of-digital-diplomacy-could-be-changing-israels-media-image/ |title=The internet: Israel's new PR battlefield |date=4 March 2012 |work=The Times of Israel |access-date=18 April 2012 |archive-date=28 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528201926/http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-rise-of-digital-diplomacy-could-be-changing-israels-media-image/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===2014–present===
[[File:Hamas = ISIS Graffiti.jpg|alt=Graffiti in Kiryat al-Malakha, Tel Aviv that states "Hamas = ISIS"|thumb|Graffiti in [[Kiryat Malakhi|Kiryat al-Malakha]], [[Tel Aviv]] that states "[[Hamas]] = [[Islamic State|ISIS]]" ]]
{{See also|2014 Gaza War|Israeli public diplomacy in the Gaza war}}

==== Hamas is ISIS ====

"Hamas is ISIS" was first asserted by [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] near the end of the [[2014 Gaza War]].<ref name="972 is">{{cite news | last1=Derfner | first1=Larry | date=24 August 2014 | title= No, Hamas isn't ISIS, ISIS isn't Hamas |url=https://www.972mag.com/no-hamas-isnt-isis-isis-isnt-hamas/ | access-date= 9 October 2024 | work=[[+972 Magazine]]}}</ref> Some Israeli journalists criticized and mocked the comparison.<ref name="tweet Foley">{{Cite news | last=Reider | first=Dimi | date= 21 August 2014 | title= Netanyahu tweets Foley execution shot to score points against Hamas | url= https://www.972mag.com/netanyahu-tweets-foley-execution-video-to-score-points-against-hamas/ | access-date= 20 November 2024 |work=[[+972 Magazine]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="972 is" /> Netanyahu was particularly criticised for including real ISIS propaganda in his social media posts promoting the analogy, including photos of [[James Foley (journalist)|James Foley]] from an ISIS [[beheading video]].<ref name="tweet Foley"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.france24.com/en/mediawatch/20140822-isis-netanyahu-james-foley | title=MediaWatch – Netanyahu deletes tweet featuring photo of James Foley | date=22 August 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-update/netanyahus-twitter-account-deletes-controversial-james-foley-tweet | title=Netanyahu's Twitter account deletes controversial James Foley tweet }}</ref>

In a 2014 speech at the [[United Nations]], Netanyahu said, "Hamas is ISIS and ISIS is Hamas".<ref name="why dangerous">{{cite web |url=https://al-shabaka.org/briefs/why-its-dangerous-to-conflate-hamas-and-daesh/ |title=Why It's Dangerous to Conflate Hamas and Daesh |date=22 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="BelalShobaki">{{Cite web |title=Belal Shobaki |url=https://al-shabaka.org/authors/belal-shobaki/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=Al-Shabaka |language=en-US}}</ref> In reference to this, the head of the Department of Political Science at [[Hebron University]]<ref name="BelalShobaki"/> said it was "dangerous" to conflate Hamas and ISIS.<ref name="why dangerous" /> Israeli journalists argued that Hamas resembles the [[Irgun]] and [[Lehi (militant group)|Lehi]]<ref>{{cite news |first=B. |last=Michael |date=2 May 2016 |title=Hamas and the Irgun? How Dare I Compare the Two... |url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2016-05-02/ty-article/.premium/hamas-and-the-irgun-how-dare-i-compare-the-two/0000017f-f73b-d318-afff-f77bf9ca0000 |work=[[Haaretz]]}}</ref><ref name="972 is"/> more closely than it does ISIS.<ref name="972 is"/>

In the first days of the [[Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip]] in [[2023 in Palestine#October|October 2023]], ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]'' quoted Netanyahu saying: "They are savages. Hamas is ISIS". The article then highlighted some alleged similarities in the groups' influences identified by Harel Chorev of the [[Moshe Dayan]] [[Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies|Center for Middle Eastern Studies]] at [[Tel Aviv University]].<ref>{{Cite news | date= 10 October 2023 | title= 'Hamas is ISIS': Here's how we know |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-767627 | access-date= 20 November 2024 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |language=en}}</ref> During the first week of Israeli bombing of Gaza, Netanyahu included this assertion in a public addresses in the United States made alongside Secretary [[Antony Blinken]].<ref name="USDOS">{{Cite web | title= Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu After Their Meeting | url= https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-and-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-after-their-meeting-2/ | access-date= 20 November 2024 |website=[[United States Department of State]] |language=en}}</ref> Netanyahu said, "Hamas is ISIS, and just as ISIS was crushed, so too will Hamas be crushed."<ref name="USDOS" /> In October 2023, he used the analogy to suggest there was a global coalition resembling that of the [[war against the Islamic State]].<ref>{{cite news | title= In Israel, Macron proposes using anti-ISIS coalition against Hamas | url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/24/israel-hamas-gaza-war-airstrikes/ | access-date= 9 December 2024 | newspaper= www.washingtonpost.com [[The Washington Post]] | date= 15 May 2024 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240515002605/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/24/israel-hamas-gaza-war-airstrikes/ | archive-date= 15 May 2024 }}</ref>

International military experts and mainstream international media pointed out major differences, particularly relating to [[Islam and nationalism|nationalism]], [[2024 Kerman bombings|Shia Islam]], [[Palestinian Christians|Christianity]], [[Islam and democracy|democracy]], and [[Destruction of cultural heritage by the Islamic State|destruction of cultural heritage]].<ref name="www.diis.dk">{{cite news | author1= Dino Krause | title= The importance of understanding the differences between Hamas, IS and al-Qaeda | url= https://www.diis.dk/en/research/the-importance-of-understanding-the-differences-between-hamas-is-and-al-qaeda | work= www.diis.dk | publisher= Danish Institute for International Studies | date= 27 October 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | first1=Christopher | last1=Anzalone | date= December 2023 | title= Excommunicating Hamas Why Differences between Globalist and Nationalist Armed Islamist Groups Matter |url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Outreach/Marine-Corps-University-Press/MES-Publications/MES-Insights/Excommunicating-Hamas/ | journal= [[MES Insights]] | publisher= www.usmcu.edu [[Marine Corps University]] – Middle East Studies |volume=14 |issue=6 |issn=2831-2872 |access-date=25 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=29 November 2023 |title=Israel likens Hamas to the Islamic State group. But the comparison misses the mark in key ways |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-war-islamic-state-group-29e59446a42d077323a3a216127c4978 |access-date=2024-11-20 |work=[[AP News]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Marks |first=Monica |date=2023-10-30 |title=Hamas Is Not ISIS. Here's Why That Matters |url=https://time.com/6329776/hamas-isis-gaza/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|TIME]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/21/hamas-isis-are-not-the-same-00128107 |title=Hamas is Not ISIS — and the Comparison Itself is Counterproductive |work=[[Politico]] |date=21 November 2023}}</ref> ISIS wants a purely theocratic system of government without any element of democracy, and violently attacks Christians, whereas Hamas participated in the [[2006 Palestinian legislative election]] and the Hamas-led [[electoral list]] that won the election included a [[Palestinian Christian]] running for the Christian [[Reserved political positions#Palestinian Authority|reserved]] seat in [[Gaza City]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Christian candidate on Hamas ticket |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2006/1/25/christian-candidate-on-hamas-ticket |access-date=20 November 2024 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=24 January 2006 |title=Hamas boosts image by backing Christian candidate |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/hamas-boosts-image-by-backing-christian-candidate |access-date=20 November 2024 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |language=en}}</ref> [[Talal Abu Zarifa]], a leader from the [[DFLP]] (a secular faction [[Palestinian Joint Operations Room|allied with Hamas]]), said Israel was using the comparison to "justify its annihilation of Palestinian people and bloodshed".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Israel likens Hamas to Daesh/ISIS to justify its crimes: Left-wing Palestinian leader |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-likens-hamas-to-daesh-isis-to-justify-its-crimes-left-wing-palestinian-leader/3032556 |access-date=20 November 2024 |work=[[Anadolu Agency]]}}</ref> Some commentators pointed out some commonalities, such as that both are on the [[list of designated terrorist groups]] in the United States<ref name="convo">{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Brian Glyn |date=14 December 2023 |title=Is Hamas the same as ISIS, the Islamic State group? No − and yes |url=https://theconversation.com/is-hamas-the-same-as-isis-the-islamic-state-group-no-and-yes-219454 |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]] |language=en-US}}</ref> and United Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite web |title=#HamasisISIS?: Assessing the campaign comparing proscribed groups |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/digital_dispatches/hamasisisis-assessing-the-campaign-comparing-proscribed-groups/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=ISD |language=en-GB}}</ref> but still stressed the groups' very different ideological goals.<ref name="convo" /> Only a few pro-government Israeli sources agreed that Hamas and ISIS are comparable.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zinman |first=Dr Galit Truman |date=31 October 2023 |title=Hamas Is ISIS |url=https://besacenter.org/is-hamas-equal-to-isis/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies |language=en-US}}</ref>

ISIS itself has a [[Social media use by the Islamic State|history of skillful social media use]], including hijacking hashtags.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-hijacks-unrelated-hashtags-in-attempt-to-spread-message/ | title=ISIS swiping hashtags as part of propaganda efforts – CBS News | website=[[CBS News]] | date=26 August 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1= Girginova | first1=Katerina | title= Hijacking Heads & Hashtags | url= https://globalejournal.org/global-e/august-2017/hijacking-heads-hashtags | journal= Global-E | date= 24 August 2017 | volume=10 | issue=56 |language=en}}</ref> The hashtag "#TheWestIsNext" began to trend in October 2023, signifying that Hamas's enemy was not only the State of Israel, and that Israel was actually fighting to protect the entire Western world.<ref name="anger motivated">{{Cite news |last= מרלין-רוזנצוייג | first= אורית | date= 25 October 2023 | trans-title= The travel blogger who invented the hashtag #HamasIsISIS: "Anger motivated me to action" | script-title= he: בלוגרית הטיולים שהמציאה את ההאשטג HamasIsISIS#: "הכעס הניע אותי לפעולה" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/laisha/article/bj0hzebmp | access-date= 24 August 2024 | work=[[Ynet]] |language=he}}</ref> However, Hamas is a localized [[Palestinian nationalist]] group with distinctly different goals and strategies than those of international terror groups such as ISIS and [[al-Qaeda]].<ref name="www.diis.dk" />

==== AI and digital influence campaign ====

In 2025, Israel's [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] launched a major public diplomacy campaign in the U.S. focused on reshaping online discourse and improving Israel's image among younger audiences amid growing criticism of its military operations in Gaza. As part of this effort, the ministry signed a $6 million agreement with the U.S.-based firm Clock Tower X LLC to produce digital content and influence how artificial intelligence systems, including [[large language model]]s (LLMs), respond to topics involving Israel. According to filings under the U.S. [[Foreign Agents Registration Act]] (FARA), Clock Tower was hired to help "combat antisemitism" and support Israel's broader public diplomacy goals. The campaign is part of a broader initiative called "Project 545", referring to a government decision to allocate 545 million shekels (about $145 million) to international public relations and digital outreach in 2025.<ref name="EdelsonEtAl2025">{{cite web |last1=Edelson |first1=Daniel |last2=York |first2=New |last3=Kahan |first3=Raphael |title=Report: Israel to spend over half a billion shekels turning ChatGPT into public diplomacy tool |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/tech-and-digital/article/rj00kxqzaxx |website=Ynet |access-date=21 October 2025 |date=6 October 2025}}</ref><ref name="Cleveland-Stout2025">{{cite web |last1=Cleveland-Stout |first1=Nick |title=Israel wants to train ChatGPT to be more pro-Israel |url=https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-chatgpt/ |website=Responsible Statecraft |access-date=21 October 2025 |date=29 September 2025}}</ref>

Clock Tower's work includes developing websites and digital materials designed to influence how generative AI systems (such as [[ChatGPT]], [[Google Gemini|Gemini]], and [[Grok (chatbot)|Grok]]) respond to queries related to Israel. This strategy, which some analysts call "Generative Engine Optimization", seeks to seed the Web with curated sources and narratives that LLMs can ingest, potentially shaping how they frame politically sensitive issues. Clock Tower will also use AI-powered search engine optimization software to improve the visibility and ranking of relevant narratives on platforms like Google and Bing. Official targets for the campaign include achieving at least 50 million impressions per month, with over 80% of the content tailored to [[Generation Z]] audiences via TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, podcasts, and other digital channels.<ref name="EdelsonEtAl2025"/><ref name="Cleveland-Stout2025"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Israeli government hires new firm to create content, train ChatGPT to be pro-Israel |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-hires-new-firm-create-content-train-chatgpt |website=The New Arab |access-date=21 October 2025 |date=30 September 2025}}</ref>

The campaign is led in part by [[Brad Parscale]], former digital strategist for Donald Trump's presidential campaigns, who serves as head of Clock Tower and as Chief Strategy Officer at [[Salem Media Group]], a conservative Christian broadcasting network that is also participating in the initiative. In FARA filings, Israel's main point of contact for the campaign is Eran Shayovich, Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who said the effort is intended to "amplify Israel's strategic communication and public diplomacy efforts."<ref name="EdelsonEtAl2025"/><ref name="Cleveland-Stout2025"/>

Alongside Clock Tower X, several other firms have been recruited as part of Israel's expanding U.S. outreach network. Show Faith by Works, a company owned by Republican consultant Chad Schnitger, submitted a proposal for a $3 million campaign targeting churches and Christian organizations in the western United States. The plan aims to reverse declining support for Israel among evangelicals through biblically framed messaging that links Christian faith to backing the Jewish state. Another firm, [[SKDK]], signed a contract worth roughly 2.5 million shekels to create bot networks designed to "flood the zone" on social media with pro-Israel messaging. The Tourism Ministry also hired Targeted Communications Global for a $1.2 million influencer and commercial content campaign promoting travel to Israel. A separate $1 million agreement with Bridges Partners, called "Project Esther", funds influencer-based cultural-exchange content between the U.S. and Israel.<ref name="Benjakob2025">{{cite web |last1=Benjakob |first1=Omer |title=Losing the Republican base, Israel pours millions to target Evangelicals and churchgoers |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2025-11-09/ty-article-magazine/.premium/losing-the-republican-base-israel-pours-millions-to-target-evangelicals-and-churchgoers/0000019a-540e-db4c-a5fb-dfafea590000 |website=Haaretz |access-date=10 November 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251110024649/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2025-11-09/ty-article-magazine/.premium/losing-the-republican-base-israel-pours-millions-to-target-evangelicals-and-churchgoers/0000019a-540e-db4c-a5fb-dfafea590000 |archive-date=10 November 2025 |date=9 November 2025}}</ref>

Documents related to the Show Faith proposal describe what was billed as "the largest geofencing campaign in U.S. history", digitally mapping thousands of churches and Christian colleges across California, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado during worship hours to identify and later re-target attendees with pro-Israel ads. The project aimed to reach an estimated 12 million individuals, including eight million churchgoers and four million Christian students. The expanded campaigns coincide with a measurable decline in American public support for Israel, including among younger Republicans and evangelical Christians, according to [[Pew Research Center|Pew]] surveys conducted between 2022 and 2025.<ref name="Benjakob2025"/>

Netanyahu has emphasized the strategic importance of social media in what he called Israel's "eighth front" alongside military, economic, and political arenas. In a 2025 meeting with pro-Israel influencers in New York, he called social media "the most important weapon today" and urged further investment in digital campaigns targeting foreign audiences.<ref name="EdelsonEtAl2025"/>

==== Funding ====
For the 2025 budget, Israel planned to fund Hasbara with US$150 million, a twenty-fold increase in budget.<ref>[https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/israel-boosts-propaganda-funding-150-million-sway-global-opinion-against Israel boosts propaganda funding by $150m to sway global opinion against genocide], 31 December 2024 [[Middle East Eye]]</ref><ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/foreign-ministry-to-receive-massive-budget-for-public-diplomacy-abroad/ Foreign Ministry to receive massive budget for public diplomacy abroad], 29 December 2024, [[Times of Israel]]</ref><ref>[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-869219 Inside Israel’s ‘Esther Project’: Justice Dept. filing exposes secret influencer PR campaign], by Asaf Elia-Shalev, October 1, 2025, [[Jerusalem Post]]</ref>

==See also==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Div col}}
* [[Act.IL]]
* [[Israeli Military Censor]]
* [[Israeli public diplomacy in the Gaza war]]
* [[Jewish Internet Defense Force]]
* [[Media coverage of the Arab–Israeli conflict]]
* [[Media Watch International]]
* [[New antisemitism]]
* [[Pallywood]]
* [[Purity of arms]]
* [[We Con the World]]
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== Further reading ==
* [[Loretta Alper]] and [[Jeremy Earp]], [http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/specialseries/2017/03/occupation-american-mind-170304122330451.html Occupation of the American Mind], [[Al Jazeera English]], 2017
* {{cite journal |last1=Aouragh |first1=Miriyam |title=Hasbara 2.0: Israel's Public Diplomacy in the Digital Age |journal=Middle East Critique |year=2016 |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=271–297 |doi=10.1080/19436149.2016.1179432 |s2cid=147947753 |url=http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/18123/1/final%20Hasbara%202%200%20Israel%20s%20Public%20Diplomacy%20in%20the%20Digital%20Age.pdf }}
* [[Associated Press]], [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/08/14/israel-students-social-media/2651715/ Israel to pay students to defend it online], ''[[USAToday]]'', 2013
* {{cite journal |last1=Avraham |first1=Eli |title=Marketing and managing nation branding during prolonged crisis: The case of Israel |journal=Place Branding and Public Diplomacy |date=28 September 2009 |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=202–212 |doi=10.1057/pb.2009.15 |s2cid=154880514 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Cummings |first1=Jonathan |title=Israel's Public Diplomacy: The Problems of Hasbara, 1966-1975 |date=2016 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |location=London |isbn=978-1-4422-6598-1 |url=https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442265981/Israels-Public-Diplomacy-The-Problems-of-Hasbara-1966-1975}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Dart |first1=Jon |title='Brand Israel': hasbara and Israeli sport |journal=Sports in Society |year=2016 |volume=19 |issue=10 |pages=1402–1418 |doi=10.1080/17430437.2015.1133595 |s2cid=147689077 |url=https://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/id/eprint/2206/3/Brand%20Israel_hasbara%20and%20Israeli%20sport.pdf }}
* {{cite book |last1=Gilboa |first1=Eytan |last2=Shai |first2=Nachman |date=2011|editor-last1=Fisher |editor-first1=Ali |editor-last2=Scott |editor-first2=Scott|title=Trials of Engagement – The Future of Public Diplomacy |publisher=Brill-Nijhoff |pages=33–54 |chapter=Rebuilding Public Diplomacy – The Case Of Israel |isbn=9789047441755}}
* {{cite book |last=Gilboa |first=Eytan |date=2013|editor-last=Inbar |editor-first=Efraim |title=Israel's Strategic Agenda |publisher=Routledge |pages=102–134 |chapter=Public Diplomacy – The Missing Component in Israel's Foreign Policy |isbn=9780415495196}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Goodman |first1=Giora |title=Explaining the occupation: Israeli hasbara and the occupied territories in the aftermath of the June 1967 war |journal=Journal of Israeli History |date=9 September 2017 |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=71–93 |doi=10.1080/13531042.2017.1366716 |s2cid=159708295 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Hirschberger |first1=Bernd |title=External Communication in Social Media During Asymmetric Conflicts A Theoretical Model and Empirical Case Study of the Conflict in Israel and Palestine |date=2021 |publisher=transcript Verlag |location=[[Bielefeld]] |isbn=978-3-8394-5509-8 |url=https://www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-5509-4/external-communication-in-social-media-during-asymmetric-conflicts/?number=978-3-8394-5509-8 |access-date=11 October 2021}}
* {{cite book |last1=Mearsheimer |first1=John |author-link1=John Mearsheimer |last2=Walt |first2=Stephen |author-link2=Stephen Walt|date=2007 |title=The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy|publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |location=New York |isbn=9780374177720}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Schleifer |first1=Ron |title=Jewish and Contemporary Origins of Israeli Hasbara |journal=Jewish Political Studies Review |year=2003 |volume=15 |issue=1–2 |pages=125–153 |jstor=25834565 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25834565 |access-date=11 October 2021}}
* {{cite book |last1=Shai |first1=Nachman |title=Hearts and Minds: Israel and the Battle for Public Opinion |date=2018 |publisher=State University of New York Press |location=[[Albany, New York]] |isbn=9781438469058 |url=https://www.sunypress.edu/p-6526-hearts-and-minds.aspx |access-date=11 October 2021}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Diplomacy (Israel)}}
[[Category:Public diplomacy]]
[[Category:Public relations]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Israel]]
[[Category:Politics of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
[[Category:Propaganda in Israel]]
[[Category:Propaganda in the United States]]