Since the founding of the State of Israel, its leadership has understood that the diplomatic and perceptual arena is no less important than the security one. Yet in recent decades – especially since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War – it has become clear that Israeli public diplomacy is struggling to adapt to the new media landscape.
Traditional media is losing its dominance, and the world is rapidly advancing into the age of social networks. While traditional television still holds some importance, the main battleground for public perception is now on platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and others. Israel, which could have won the narrative battle, has chosen to barely participate in the game.
The shift began when Israel Katz served as foreign minister. The ministry started to extricate Israeli public diplomacy from its impasse. Katz appointed a professional spokesperson, allocated dedicated budgets, established relationships with Jewish social media influencers, and attempted to formulate unified messaging for the world.
For the first time in years, there was close cooperation between the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit and the Foreign Ministry, and within the system, there was a sense of a shift in the direction of public diplomacy.
Recently, with Gideon Sa’ar’s appointment as foreign minister, it was announced that the budget would be increased by approximately NIS 500,000 – an important step. It seems Sa’ar understands the immense challenge, as public diplomacy today is not merely a budget line item but an entire system of thinking, creativity, and a deep understanding of the new rules of the international game.
In the war that began on October 7, 2023, Hamas operated like a sophisticated Western media organization. Within days, emotional videos, graphics, and carefully staged testimonies flooded social networks – all in a language that resonates with the younger global audience.
At the same time, the IDF conducted its public messaging through press releases, dry broadcasts, and IDF video clips that seemed as though they were pulled from a decade-old archive.
Within just two weeks of the horrific massacre in the Gaza border communities, the terror organization succeeded in flipping the victim into the attacker. From a position of global sympathy, Israel was pushed into a defensive, hesitant, and evasive posture amid a growing wave of international accusations.
The Foreign Ministry is trying to operate in a hostile arena, against enemies who have extended their tentacles into global media outlets and social networks.
The core issue is that nearly every government body lays claim to public diplomacy: the Public Diplomacy Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, the Prime Minister’s Office, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, and the National Public Diplomacy Directorate.
The public diplomacy budget should be allocated exclusively to the Foreign Ministry. In practice, it is divided among all these bodies – most of which don’t even use it, despite having received allocations. No one is steering the ship or coordinating the messaging. Instead of a single, unified strategy, we are left with five different – and at times contradictory – voices, and the message gets lost.
The public saw how videos from the atrocities of October 7 were deliberately hidden out of fear they would “shock the world.” Yet the world was exposed to Hamas’s manipulative videos, some crudely fabricated.
While Hamas leveraged the war – whose sole perpetrator is the murderous organization itself – we rolled out graphs that spoke to no one.
Ambassadors from countries I’m in contact with through my consular roles have asked: Why isn’t our voice being heard? Why do the global media and social networks mainly amplify our enemies? I had no good answer.
ONE OF the bloodiest arenas is the campuses in the US and Europe. Jewish students face blatant and sometimes violent antisemitism, but official Israel has been almost entirely absent.
There was no educational public diplomacy infrastructure, no reinforcements of young spokespersons, and no content production in a contemporary language. Aside from the Foreign Ministry – which fights with its hands tied due to a lack of proper funding – the state has left this fight in private hands: NGOs, bereaved families, and volunteers.
As mentioned, the announcement of an additional NIS 500,000 for the public diplomacy budget is important. However, beyond the budget, a comprehensive strategy and a professional headquarters are needed to unify the various messages under a single authority.
It is, indeed, difficult to compete with the massive budgets of Qatar and Iran. Without cross-platform campaigns, we cannot change the current narrative.
Shifting public opinion
In a world where a single TikTok video can shift public opinion among millions, policymakers must understand that Israel can no longer afford to think in outdated terms.
In March, Sa’ar inaugurated the Foreign Ministry’s new media command center. The center is based on artificial intelligence and human expertise, with the goal of monitoring international news and media channels and providing immediate responses to anti-Israel media incidents.
The command center monitors approximately 10,000 Israel-related reports daily, identifies false or biased stories that could spark a media “fire,” and works swiftly to respond through Israeli and pro-Israeli spokespeople who refute the allegations and present the Israeli narrative.
In December, Sa’ar met with dozens of influencers, opinion leaders, public diplomacy organizations, and perception experts for the first of many planned meetings aimed at collectively considering the changes needed in managing Israel’s perception among global public opinion.
Sa’ar made it clear: “Israel’s cognitive warfare is a decisive, life-saving issue. This is another front in the campaign Israel is waging for its survival and future. It’s a central issue, and I intend to work with as many forces as possible in Israeli society and the Jewish world to achieve maximum effectiveness.”
Sa’ar has also responded firmly and immediately to antisemitic hate speech, such as that of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who gave a speech at a mosque earlier this week for Eid al-Fitr. In an unprecedented statement against Israel following the war in Gaza, Erdogan said: “May Allah bring destruction and ruin upon Zionist Israel.”
Sa’ar responded on social media: “The dictator Erdogan has revealed his antisemitic face. He is dangerous to the region, as well as to his own people, as is clearly evident these very days.”
The media command center is staffed by diplomats and students specializing in international communications and has already begun operating in a pilot format in recent weeks.
There is also great importance in the work of Israeli public diplomacy activists navigating the digital jungle.
Ayalon Levy, Natali Dadon, former MK Shirley Pinto, Emily Schriber, and other public diplomacy figures took part in a January appreciation event for those who supported Israel’s image during the war. The event, initiated by MK Dan Illouz, became a rare display of unity among figures from across the political spectrum.
The conference, conducted entirely in English, served as a unique tribute to individuals who tirelessly worked to bolster Israel’s reputation in the international arena – especially in the face of escalating anti-Israel propaganda.
Among the participants were social media influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers, journalists, and senior spokespeople.
A compelling example of effective public diplomacy is Ukraine. It has demonstrated that even during a bloody war, it is possible to run a sophisticated, sensitive, and effective public diplomacy campaign. It does so through collaboration between government, citizens, creators, and influencers.
Israel can adopt this model – but doing so requires a broad conceptual shift. Without it, we will continue to flounder in the public diplomacy sphere, and Israel will continue to pay the price through rising antisemitism and hostility around the world.
The writer is CEO of Radios 100FM, an honorary consul-general, deputy dean of the Consular Diplomatic Corps, president of the Israel Communications Association, and former NBC television correspondent.
