Israeli gov't abandoned PR war, needs ‘army of hasbara’ led by ‘chief of staff’ - interview
"I know exactly what should be done," said Erdan. "I have a comprehensive plan on how we should work there to portray Israel in the right way, [and] how to be on the offensive."
Former Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan has called for the creation of an "army of hasbara" - a term referring to Israel's public diplomacy efforts - to combat the country's global image issues. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Erdan criticized the current government's neglect of this battle, stating that Israel lacks a comprehensive plan and significant funding for effective public diplomacy.
The current agency-based approach, Erdan argued, is insufficient and unable to effectively fight off negative narratives. He pointed to a major funding gap, noting that his budget as ambassador was a mere $10,000 for public activities in New York, compared to Qatar's successful investments in "soft diplomacy" despite a smaller economy.
Erdan emphasized that Israel's diplomatic missions lack the necessary resources for effective public diplomacy, drawing a stark contrast with Qatar's approach. He argued that if Israel were to allocate more resources to public diplomacy, it could better counteract negative narratives and protect its image.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written; read the original for the full account.
