{
  "id": 325861,
  "title": "Israeli gov't abandoned PR war, needs ‘army of hasbara’ led by ‘chief of staff’ - interview",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/israeli-govt-abandoned-pr-war-needs-army-of-hasbara-led-by-chief-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-08T23:16:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-904921"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "\"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.\"",
  "key_points": [
    "Current government neglects public diplomacy, lacking comprehensive plan and funding.",
    "Qatar's soft diplomacy investments contrast with Israel's agency-based approach and $10,000 budget."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Israel's neglect of public diplomacy cedes ground to critics, and a comprehensive plan with significant funding is needed to counter negative narratives and protect its global image effectively.",
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/325861.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Haaretz",
        "title": "She never served in the Israeli army. Her heroine is an angry soldier",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/she-never-served-in-the-israeli-army-her-heroine-is-an-angry-soldier",
        "published": "2026-08-08T09:42:10.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}