From Startup Nation to Pariah People

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To state that Israel’s international reputation and standing has plunged to shockingly low levels, is an understatement. Indeed a different type of brutal onslaught is unfolding before our eyes and the question must be asked- is the Israeli government fighting this phenomenon with the same will, force and sophistication which characterizes our military operations?

Let us be clear. The hatred for Israel and Jews infecting the world at present is sourced from the deep wellsprings of antisemitism that forever bubble just under the surface awaiting a catalyst to spew anew. Hamas is culpable and it has provided its willing collaborators and useful idiots all the ammunition it needs to spread the calumny. However, that does not exonerate the Israeli leadership from its breach of duty in not fighting this phenomenon tooth and nail. Just as our government and military misjudged our enemy leading up to October 7^th, so have they miscalculated the media savvy and power of our savage foe. Hamas has surprised us, out-thought us, outflanked us and, aided and abetted by parts of the Muslim world, the international media, influencers, politicians and the masses, they are thrashing us. Our response to the military onslaught has been to counter attack with all our power and ingenuity. Yet our response to the attack on our international reputation has been to leave a nominal, ineffective and overwhelmed platoon on the battlefield, allowing the haters to raise the flags of Hamas and “Palestine” in victory across the world, spreading their noxious, deadly gospel far and wide to a receptive audience.

Just as the tragedies of Yom Kippur ‘73 and Simchat Torah ’23 were caused by a toxic mix of hubris, short-sightedness and incompetence, so too do they contribute to the current standing of Israel in the world. Two years into the greatest, ongoing disaster in our nation’s existence, Netanyahu has still evaded taking any responsibility for the catastrophe. History will be his judge. But as a person with exceptional media instincts and master of the art of communication, his dearth of action as the country free falls into the pit of public outrage is inexcusable. Thinking that meeting the media once in a while substitutes for massive financial investment, innovation and effort, is delusional. In fact in his truly masterful press conference on August 10th, he freely admitted that we are losing the media battle. Yet he does not seem to be particularly perturbed. His references to Sparta are of extreme concern. Relating to Germany’s Chancellor Merch’s and many European leaders’ lack of support for Israel, he stated, “Do you know when he’ll change his policy? When we win.” We have suffered too much from this misplaced self-confidence.

Since the formation of Israel, our leadership has perpetuated the blunder that our status amongst the nations is not important enough to be factored into our budgetary and attention priorities. But to think that we can get away with this approach in the present conflict is misguided and the shocking results are already plain to see. Just as the scale and nature of the military campaign and the foe we face are nothing like anything we have experienced in the past, so too has been the ferocious assault on our policies and action on the international stage. Yet the same country that has imposed havoc upon Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, Syria and Hamas using the most sophisticated technology and brain power of its citizens in groundbreaking military strategies, has failed to develop an aggressive, effective media campaign to impact our enemy’s positions.

Amit Segal, in his recent discussion with Dan Senor on the “Call Me Back” podcast, echoed Saul Steinberg’s famous New Yorker magazine cover of March 29^th 1976 entitled, “View of the World from 9^th Avenue.” He described Netanyahu’s map of the world as “Stretching from Congress to the White House.” In Netanyahu’s view, that is almost singularly, the part of the world that we Israelis have to worry about in terms of keeping our friends happy. As long as we have Trump on our side, what is occurring right now across the globe, is not relevant. The fact that Israel’s international legitimacy lies in tatters does not seem to concern him.

Netanyahu believes that when the war is over, the nations of the world will fall back in line, and business will continue as usual. This line of thought puts the welfare of the citizens he was elected to serve, as well as Jews around the world, at peril, not to speak of our deepening social and cultural isolation, and impending economic hardship. Indeed, we have flipped from Startup Nation to Pariah People.

Israel is blessed with eloquent advocates, fluent in English and other major languages. It is also fortunate in having brilliant high-tech personnel. On October 8^th, a regiment consisting of acute professionals should have been tasked with creating the platforms and breaching the barriers and bots, getting our message out to the world’s masses that are being fed with a feast of hatred and distortion. Yet incredibly, shortly after the war began, the government closed the Ministry of Information. Since Eylon Levy, the fervent, persuasive young British born man was fired under spurious circumstances in March 2024, Israel has not appointed an English speaking government spokesperson.

The IDF needs a large crackerjack staff capable of responding to libelous accusations within minutes. It should be proactive in disseminating Hamas war crimes daily using methodologies that evade media barriers. Yet its “International Media Branch” is understaffed and overwhelmed and does not seem to be able to think out-of-the-box. With all respect to Effie Defrin, a decorated soldier, the IDF should have an eloquent spokesperson who is comfortable with cameras, and capable of initiating press conferences and answering tough questions with ease and conviction. Even if we know that the fact-checking process is long and complex, the initial response can be designed to be quick, effective and authentic.

Here is one example. We are seeing aerial footage of the mass devastation wreaked on vast swathes of urban landscape in Gaza. We understand that there are hundreds of kilometers of tunnels running underneath these areas and that many of these structures were booby trapped and held munitions. Imagine our sharp youngsters, equipped with all the tech and AI available, producing the same images with the tunnel network superimposed and buildings graphically marked for booby traps, tunnel entrances and the like. We need our Internet whizzes to create a reality where every time someone opens their Youtube, Instagram and other social media apps they are confronted with these images. Videos of pamphlets dropped to warn civilians of impending attacks must be emailed to every news outlet, foreign ministry, and international fora around the world. The authentic history of our region must be amplified across the cyber universe, presented in a graphic way that impacts the casual observer. Visuals of the field hospitals Israel has facilitated in Gaza should be sweeping the Internet. The vast fake-news network must be constantly confronted and debunked, image by image, report after report, distortion upon distortion.

As the biased BBC and the like spew malicious lies and omit context and truth, they must be exposed and refuted in real time on innovative platforms. Campuses may be inflamed by Qatar funded chaos, but the men and women on the streets from London to Toronto must be presented with a balanced view both of Israel and of Hamas. Where there is a will, the possibilities are as endless as the imagination of our 8200’s.

When government ministers make statements supporting starvation and genocide for narrow partisan interests without any regard for what they are doing to our image, they are not only desecrating God’s name, they are also reinforcing the false narrative of the haters and fueling incitement to violence against Jews. The Prime Minister’s response should have been to fire those ministers within hours. Does the fact that these ministers continue to defame us from their ministerial podiums, answer the persistent question as to whether Netanyahu is sacrificing his country’s wellbeing on the altar of his personal interests? And yes, Yair Golan, Ehud Olmert, Moshe “Bogie” Ayalon are equally complicit in Israel’s international demolition. (Contrast these with Naftali Bennett’s international advocacy.)

When Israelis have to hide their identities as they fly out from Ben Gurion airport, when Jews around the world fear for their lives, when our economy, culture and sport is on the verge of total isolation, it is clear that we cannot afford to wait until “the war is won.” Our remarkable soldiers who are risking their lives see the lies of genocide and starvation leveled at them, with no effective response from those who are charged with defending them.

Just as in many spheres of civilian life, individuals have stepped into the breach of the government’s inability to fulfill its duties. Some excellent advocates for Israel have assumed responsibility for filling the vacuum. Douglas Murray, Melanie Phillips and Tal Oran are just a few of many. My personal favorite is Oren the tour guide, who has uploaded consistently brilliant videos posting as “travellingisrael”. Podcasters such as Dan Senor, Haviv Rettig Gur and others have provided outstanding in-depth analyses. But all of the above have limited resources and their work is viewed by relatively few viewers, most of whom are the converted.

Anti-Zionism has infiltrated the important institutions and hearts and minds of masses across the world. It is not our fault that they are fed with libel after libel. But muted response in the face of accusation is tantamount to admission of guilt and that has deep, lasting consequences. The media war cannot be won outright, especially given the damage already inflicted. Antisemitism will always lurk and we are fighting a classical asymmetric war. But our government dare not diminish the value of damage control and abstain from making its best efforts.

Looking forward, Rabbi Tarfon says, “…It is not upon you to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” Our leadership has thus far largely avoided performing this crucial task thereby compromising our State and people. While massive, lasting damage has already been done, that does not justify not making our best effort. And the time to act is today.