Skeptic say that country's image after Oct. 7 has become so tarnished by government policy and dereliction that even with vast public relations funds, it's too late for a face lift
$730 million for public diplomacy — the broad category known in Hebrew as hasbara — nearly five times the $150 million they allocated the year before.
Hasbara is about changing perception of the general public. The only reason we see some shift in government officials changing their course is because of how toxic support from Israel is seen (so much so that they can lose elections because of it).
So long as Israel can perform public advocacy to at least get to a place of neutral outlook (or become a sideline topic), then they’d have achieved their goals.
Israel’s current stated goal is to increase Arab-phobia and Islamophobia through populism and anti-immigration rhetoric to be greater than people’s disdain for Israel.
It’s definitely for the former
Hasbara is about changing perception of the general public. The only reason we see some shift in government officials changing their course is because of how toxic support from Israel is seen (so much so that they can lose elections because of it).
So long as Israel can perform public advocacy to at least get to a place of neutral outlook (or become a sideline topic), then they’d have achieved their goals.
Israel’s current stated goal is to increase Arab-phobia and Islamophobia through populism and anti-immigration rhetoric to be greater than people’s disdain for Israel.