Whenever I address an audience, invariably someone will ask, “Why is Israel’s public relations or public diplomacy so poor?” The perception of Israel being victorious in the battlefield and losing its advantages in the public diplomacy arena is largely correct.
For Israel, a small and besieged state whose enemies have for decades tried to isolate it and make it a pariah, effective public diplomacy is critical. Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s enemies have been vastly successful in swaying large segments of public opinion internationally with blatant lies such as “Israel committed a genocide in Gaza” and “Israel is an apartheid state.”
The narrative of Israel’s enemies has significantly squashed the facts of October 7: that Hamas attacks against Israeli civilians were unprovoked; that they barbarically murdered 1,200 Israelis — including babies, women, elderly Holocaust survivors, etc.; and that 251 innocent civilians were taken as hostages. These facts are less remembered than the inflated and unverified figures of Gazan civilian deaths. Israel had the moral and legal right to retaliate against the evil committed against its citizens. Palestinian civilians died because Hamas used them as human shields. The unusual and unprecedented measures taken by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) in warning and protecting Palestinian civilians has no equal in open warfare.
Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels proved that if you tell a lie often enough, it will become accepted as the truth. Israel’s enemies have followed that logic. Unfortunately, the Israeli leadership has failed to provide an articulate, authoritative, and confident spokesperson whose voice can rise above the noise and drown out the manipulated lies.
Currently in Israel and for numerous prior decades, public diplomacy was split among several entities, including the IDF spokesperson, the National Information Office (Hasbara), the Foreign Ministry, and the prime minister’s office. Given the need for immediacy and rapid posting on multiple social media platforms, along with the 24/7 cable network news cycles, Israeli’s public diplomacy voice has been lost amid the slow and competing internal sources of information.
Israel needs a charismatic person who is articulate, bold, and confident. Consistency is key. There must be one person who continually updates and addresses the foreign press. That spokesperson will become readily recognizable and will be counted on by the press for statements, as opposed to having different ministry spokespersons update them. Moreover, such a singular spokesperson would be required to have a presence in the Cabinet room, where important decisions are being made.
Western media have generally been averse to spokespersons in military uniform. Therefore, the singular spokesperson must address the press in civilian clothes. Insofar as the spokesperson will be on camera more often than not, consideration should be given to his being telegenic. Neither the prime minister nor the defense minister should be involved in regular press briefings, unless a special press conference has been called.
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Dr. Nissim Katz, an Israeli communications expert, pointed out that what Israel needs is a “Karoline Leavitt of its own” — someone who has the ability to connect with multiple audiences, especially young audiences in the West. Unlike the older generations, Leavitt is a true digital combatant with an ability to effectively drive her narrative. Katz suggested that Israel is losing the young generations in both the U.S. and Europe because it is insistent on speaking the language of the 20th century instead of using the content of the 21st century.
Katz concludes by saying that Israel needs someone with the determination, sharpness, and energy possessed by Leavitt, who is capable of exposing and demolishing lies on the spot, in live broadcasts. Leavitt, Katz says, is an effective weapon in the war over the national narrative.
Israel had an effective spokesperson, the young Eylon Levy, but issues of ego and jealousy from other would-be spokespeople in the various offices mentioned above killed his appointment. Israel cannot afford ever-changing spokespeople who limit their statements to general slogans intended to douse fires. Israel desperately needs a central figure who will stand tall on the national podium; look straight at the international audience; and present the Israeli truth and the regional realities with courage, resoluteness, and clarity.
Until the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel was perceived as the little David fighting an Arab world Goliath. Perception of Israel changed in subsequent years. After the decisive win in 1967 and the peace with Egypt, Israel was viewed differently. It was no longer little Israel facing a threatening Arab world, but rather a Goliath against a Palestinian-Arab people with an appealing narrative, albeit a false and misleading one. The Arab-Palestinians have switched roles with Israel and are now seen as the putative David with the Palestinian narrative of self-determination within a two-state solution having become acceptable to Western audiences, especially young people.
That is, however, a deadly illusion. The Palestinian leadership, whether representing the Hamas ideology or that of the so-called moderate Fatah movement, seek the same solution: the Jewish state’s demise.
Intelligently and factually exposing the Palestinian narrative as fraudulent and suicidal to Israel’s existence is the primary task of Israel’s public diplomacy. It is high time Israeli leaders internalized the realities of today’s world: Words are first-rate, strategic weapons, and those who do not know how to use them effectively will be left behind. An increasingly isolated Israel must find a way to win the public diplomacy war.
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Image via Pxbarn.