An Israeli government agency this week deployed a public diplomacy effort involving 500 billboards in Manhattan to highlight “the threat posed by Iran’s terrorist regime” and the U.S.-Israel partnership in confronting it, officials said.
The campaign, which coincides with the United Nations General Assembly, features dozens of trucks that will tow mobile billboards across Manhattan, according to the National Public Diplomacy Directorate at the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
This underscores “the threat posed by Iran’s terrorist regime and the partnership between Israel and the US in the struggle against the Axis of Evil,” according to the statement.
The Government Advertising Agency launched part of the three-day campaign, which is scheduled to wrap up Friday. In addition to main avenues and streets, the campaign features massive signage in Times Square.
“Millions of people are expected to be exposed to the campaign and its messages,” said Israeli National Public Diplomacy Directorate Head Tzipi Hotovely. “Against the backdrop of incitement and anti-Israel messaging promoted by our adversaries, the U.N. General Assembly session is an opportunity to raise awareness of the hypocrisy and cynicism prevalent against us in the corridors of the U.N.,” the statement continued.
The messages featured in the campaign include: “Freedom doesn’t defend itself,” referencing the strategic cooperation between Israel and the United States, which on Feb. 28 launched a joint operation meant to prevent Iran from threatening its neighbors and other countries.
Other messages are centered on the United Nations itself, which critics say has been hijacked by the anti-Israel and anti-American agendas of some countries and other players. These messages include the graphics “UNsafe” and “UNacceptable.” The Iranian delegation to the U.N. General Assembly is the target of some signs, accusing them of human rights violations against their own citizens.
Part of the campaign urges audiences to “choose a side,” contrasting the anti-Israeli/anti-American side — which the billboard associates with tyranny and terrorism — with the pro-Israel/pro-American side, which the campaign associates with freedom and life, according to the Directorate’s statement.
