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Israel’s Public Diplomacy Failure
Objects are seen in the sky above Jerusalem after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, in Jerusalem April 14, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
JNS.org – Despite military achievements in Gaza, Israel faces defeats on other fronts: public relations, diplomacy and legal battles. These are part of public diplomacy, which is as crucial as military strategy.
The failure lies in framing the war. Framing events is critical in the battle for media and public opinion, and whoever sets the narrative first gains a significant advantage.
Since Oct. 7, Israel is not only fighting in Gaza. The war is against Iran and all its proxies in the region, including Hamas, Hezbollah, militias in Syria and Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen. Iran also directly attacked Israel on the night of April 13-14.
Why, in response to South Africa’s unfounded complaint to the International Court of Justice in The Hague against Israel for alleged “genocide” intentions in Gaza, which are baseless, does Israel not file a justified complaint against Iran for its intentions and plans to destroy Israel?
The Palestinians have enormous achievements in the field of public relations because they appear weak compared to Israel and because of the destruction in Gaza. But framing the war against Iran and its proxies would change the picture, as Iranian power is equal to or greater than Israel’s. Iran’s civilian and military leaders have repeatedly declared their intention to destroy Israel and the circle of fire they have created around it is aimed at achieving this goal.
Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 was intended to ignite the Iranian circle of fire or at least to test the waters for a more decisive move in the future.
Even the term “the war against Hamas in Gaza” is misleading. Few people in the world know what Hamas is and are familiar with its charter and platform, which call for the destruction of Israel. Few know about its conduct in Gaza since it took over. The war is presented in the media as aggression against Gaza’s civilians, not against Hamas fighters and the military infrastructure they built above and below ground.
When the skilled IDF spokesperson provides evidence against Hamas, it is often too late.
Therefore, from the outset, the war should have been defined as one against Iran and its proxies, not against the Palestinians or Hamas in Gaza.
Hezbollah claims it attacks only military targets in Israel. This is a lie. Anti-tank missile fire directly at houses along the entire northern border is not aimed at military targets. The Houthis have fired several times at Eilat and recently hit Tel Aviv. Hezbollah and the Houthis are committing serious war crimes. Israel’s counterattacks in Gaza and on all other fronts are justified as basic self-defense.
The propaganda war against Israel is waged in international U.N. bodies and it must be addressed primarily there.
It is unclear why Israel does not file complaints with the Security Council against Lebanon and Yemen for aggression and war crimes whenever Hezbollah attacks from the north and the Houthis from the south, demanding condemnation and action against them.
The U.N. and its institutions are indeed heavily biased against Israel and infected with covert or overt antisemitism. Therefore, Israel tends to ignore them. But many countries, including those in the liberal West, regard them with respect and seriousness. When Israel is accused of war crimes in U.N. institutions and only tries to defend itself, the result is predictable and, ultimately, only Israel is found guilty.
Effective public diplomacy uses all available tools and, like any war, must combine defense with offense. It is time to launch a multi-front public relations, diplomatic and legal offensive against Iran and its proxies.
If U.N. institutions seriously consider Israel’s complaints and act accordingly, Israel will benefit. If not, they can be condemned as biased and one-sided, making it harder for the West to accept their decisions against Israel.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
The post Israel’s Public Diplomacy Failure first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.