Israel is losing the battle for public opinion. I know, because for nearly nine years, I managed Israel’s official digital presence.
Scroll through social media, and it feels bleak. Conspiracy theories are everywhere: that Israel orchestrated the murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, blocked the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and is intentionally starving millions of Palestinians while harvesting the organs of Palestinian children. Far-right political commentator Candace Owens spreads these lies to millions, and others amplify them without hesitation. These aren’t fringe claims anymore; they have entered mainstream discourse. Just recently, dozens of Hollywood stars publicly called for a boycott of Israel’s film industry.
I’ve seen how quickly lies spread and how damaging they are. During my time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Digital Diplomacy Bureau, I helped run Israel’s official social-media accounts, including @Israel on X, in seven languages; sparred with world leaders; and went viral with memes and pop-culture references. But I also sat in war rooms after terror attacks, drafted messaging for hostage families, and tried, sometimes unsuccessfully, to counter disinformation that had already reached millions.
Then came Oct. 7. We produced more than 40,000 pieces of content, reaching billions of people. Yet it was not enough. With dozens of hostages still in Gaza and millions abroad persuaded by falsehoods, Israel’s story is being lost. Our nation cannot afford to keep repeating the same mistakes.
My nearly nine years on the digital frontlines taught me hard lessons about what works, what fails and what Israel should do differently.
Here are nine things my experience has taught me.
1. Stop Explaining, Start Leading
Hasbara, literally “explaining,” has been Israel’s default approach for decades. It assumes that if we just explain ourselves more clearly, the world will understand. But hasbara has become defensive, apologetic and counterproductive.
Our adversaries aren’t explaining. They’re storytelling, often with lies, but in ways that feel simple, emotional and convincing. When figures like former Fox News cable-TV host Tucker Carlson push conspiracies about Israel, no amount of “explaining” can undo the damage.
Israel must retire the term hasbara and everything that comes with it. We need to stop trying to justify our existence to people who will never accept it and start telling our story like every other nation: proactively and unapologetically.
2. Adapt to the Platforms People Actually Use
The world is moving much faster than Israel’s communications strategy. Conspiracy theories now spread in minutes across the platforms where younger generations live and form their views. A claim can start on X, go viral on TikTok or YouTube, and become “truth” on Reddit or Wikipedia before Israel has even drafted a response.
At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I was fortunate to work with some of the most talented people in Israel. Our Digital Diplomacy Bureau was innovative, creative and willing to take risks. That spirit helped put Israel on the map digitally and earned us global recognition.
But Israel mostly still relies on outdated methods: press releases, formal videos, carefully worded talking points. Meanwhile, our adversaries are meeting audiences where they are: in gaming streams, podcasts, Discord chat rooms and other social-first spaces that Israel barely touches. Outlets like AJ+ have mastered this: they use progressive language, persuasive visuals and cultural cues that appeal to young audiences, all while reframing the Palestinian cause to fit seamlessly into narratives of social justice and oppression. Israel has nothing comparable.
If Israel wants to reach the next generation, then it must adapt to the platforms young people actually use. That means investing in gaming channels, podcasts and short-form video, and learning to speak the cultural language of those audiences. We cannot afford to keep fighting today’s information war with yesterday’s tools.
3. Set the Agenda, Don’t Just Respond
Some conspiracy theories are so outrageous that they shouldn’t warrant a response. Israel supposedly assassinating Charlie Kirk is one of them. Yet millions believed it anyway. And that’s the lesson.
When even the most absurd lies are taken seriously, rebuttals are not enough. By the time Israel issues a denial, the damage is already done. And the more “believable” narratives gain traction even faster. The hashtag #GazaIsStarving was first shared in the days after Oct. 7, while Hamas terrorists were still inside Israel and before any ground incursion had begun. That lie took on a life of its own and continues to spread today, shaping global opinion long before Israel could respond.
This is what happens when we play defense. Our adversaries create stories. We issue rebuttals. And in today’s world, stories always beat rebuttals. Israel must set the agenda; expose disinformation networks before their lies spread; and show how this conspiracy culture destabilizes democracies everywhere, not just Israel.
4. Elevate Israel’s Immigrants
Israel has a powerful, underused resource: its immigrants. New olim bring cultural fluency, language skills and credibility that scripted spokespeople rarely achieve.
When I worked at the MFA, I saw colleagues from Iran, Venezuela, France, Uruguay, Iraq and the United States connect authentically with audiences abroad because they understood the nuance. They knew the humor, the culture, the rhythm of language. They sounded like people, not press releases or propaganda arms.
In a world where influencers with millions of followers, from Tucker Carlson to Hasan Piker, shape global narratives about Israel, often in hostile ways, Israel needs credible voices of its own. Our immigrants should be those voices. These voices should be platformed on every talk show during times of peace and war, but especially during war.
5. Stand With Global Jewry
Oct. 7 wasn’t only Israel’s tragedy. It shook Jewish communities worldwide.
On campuses, Jewish students face intimidation and isolation. Online, they see antisemitic conspiracy theories, sometimes from the same influencers who peddle lies about Israel. Many feel abandoned and unsafe, and an increasing number are distancing themselves not only from Israel but from Judaism itself.
Israel cannot ignore them. We need to show up, partner with Hillel and Chabad, sponsor trips that deepen connection to Israel and support Jewish pride when it’s most under attack.
And we must not forget the hostages in Gaza. Their families’ pleas are part of this global Jewish story. They remind us that solidarity is not abstract; it is urgent, human and deeply personal.
6. Run Public Diplomacy Like a Newsroom
Israel’s public diplomacy still functions like a government office when it needs to operate like a newsroom: fast, coordinated and relentless.
Instead, every election brings a new minister and a new strategy. Professionals with years of experience are sidelined, messaging priorities change overnight, and long-term planning becomes impossible. The revolving door of political appointees has left one of Israel’s most vital tools, its voice to the world, weakened and inconsistent.
Coordination is another weakness. The MFA, the Israel Defense Forces, the Prime Minister’s Office, COGAT, the police and other government institutions all speak to the world, but not always in sync. By the time anything clears approval, hostile actors have already defined the story. That’s how a false narrative about Israel bombing the Al-Ahli Hospital in 2023 spread worldwide before the truth—that it was a misfired Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket—could catch up.
The answer is not to take public diplomacy out of the MFA. It should remain firmly within the ministry. But it must be treated as a permanent professional hub, staffed by crisis-communications experts rather than political appointees, and empowered to coordinate across government. Insulated from elections, trusted to act in real time and run like a newsroom, the MFA could lead the fight on the information battlefield, instead of scrambling to catch up.
7. Stop Arguing for Israel’s Existence
No other nation is asked to prove its right to exist. Israel shouldn’t either.
On Oct. 7, Hamas live-streamed murder, rape and kidnapping for the world to see. Yet within days, victims were erased, hostages were rebranded as “political prisoners,” and somehow Israel was blamed for the violence committed against it.
This should end the debate once and for all: Israel does not need to argue for its existence. Our task is to tell the truth with clarity and moral courage. Israel exists. It has the right to defend itself. That is not a debate. It is reality.
8. Lead With Emotion, Ground It in Facts
Statistics matter. They provide credibility, scale and proof. But alone, numbers rarely stay with people. When Israel shares only figures, rockets fired, interceptions made, most will scroll past, especially when those numbers are drowned out by headlines about “thousands killed” on the other side.
Hamas understands this. Its Ministry of Health pushes out daily casualty figures that much of the international media reports as fact, even when inflated or fabricated. Statistics can be debated, disputed or distorted. What people actually remember are human stories.
On Oct. 7, the murder of Noya Dan, a 12-year-old girl and Harry Potter fan with autism, was reported around the world. Outlets from The Hollywood Reporter to the Daily Mail and many others carried the heartbreaking headline: “Potter Girl Dead.” People stopped, read, and were heartbroken because they were not reacting to a number but to a person. One post we shared about Noya reached more than 30 million views and was even shared by J.K. Rowling herself.
Our adversaries understand this well. They frame every incident as a story of villains and victims, power and resistance, often blending lies with emotion. Their narratives travel faster than any fact-check.
Israel must do the same, but with truth. We need to tell the stories of hostages, survivors, soldiers, doctors, and families. Stories give names, faces and voices to statistics. Numbers inform, but stories endure.
9. Earn Trust Through Transparency
In a world of fake news and endless conspiracy theories, credibility is everything.
The aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination showed how quickly a lack of clarity fuels disinformation. Where there is a vacuum, rumors rush in. The same is true for Israel. If we spin or delay, others will fill the gap with lies.
Transparency means being consistent, clear and human. Admit mistakes quickly. Provide context honestly. Show the real people behind policies. Trust is slow to build and easy to lose, and without it, Israel will have lost the battle before it even begins.
So, back to our title: Hasbara is dead. Not because Israel’s story doesn’t matter, but because defensive, reactive messaging belongs in the past.
The next phase must be built on strategy, speed and emotion. Israel’s public diplomacy has to function like a newsroom—fast, coordinated and relentless. It must meet people where they are: podcasts, gaming channels, chat rooms and social platforms shaping the next generation.
That means elevating real Israeli voices, especially immigrants who know how to speak across cultures, and standing with Jews worldwide, from students on hostile campuses to families still waiting for their loved ones in Gaza.
If Israel keeps treating public diplomacy as an afterthought, military strength and economic innovation will not save us. We will lose legitimacy abroad, and with it, our ability to defend ourselves at home.
I spent nearly nine years on the frontlines of Israel’s digital war. What I know is this: Israel’s resilience is alive, its story is compelling, and its spirit is unbreakable. But unless we tell it with clarity, courage and a strategy fit for today’s world, we risk being drowned out.
