Hasbara
Encyclopedia
Public diplomacy in Israel (also hasbara) refers to public relations
efforts to disseminate information about Israel
. The term is used by the Israeli government and its supporters to describe efforts to explain government policies
and promote Israel in the face of what they consider negative press about Israel around the world. Others view hasbara as a euphemism for propaganda
.
has said that there is no "real, precise" translation of the word hasbara to English or any other language, and has characterized it as public diplomacy
, an action undertaken by all governments around the world with the growing importance of what Harvard professor Joseph Nye
termed soft power
. Gary Rosenblatt
describes it as "advocacy". Hasbara has been described as "pro-Israel propaganda," but while "propaganda strives to highlight the positive aspects of one side of a conflict, hasbara seeks to explain actions, whether or not they are justified."http://www.israelnn.com/print.php3?what=article&id=4175
it was referred to as “explaining.” In 1986, the New York Times reported a similar late 1970s period for the start of a program for “communicating defense goals” and a 1984 implementation of a “Hasbara Project” to “train foreign-service officers in communications by placing them with American companies.” Carl Spielvogel
, chairman of Backer & Spielvogel, traveled to Israel to advise the government on communicating its defense goals.
The trip led to the Hasbara Project, an internship program established to train foreign-service officers in communications by placing them with American companies.Shmuel Katz's book Battleground: Fact and Fantasy in Palestine
, published in 1973, was described as “an encyclopedic source-book for those involved in Israel's hasbara (public relations) effort.” In 1977, Prime Minister Menachem Begin
named Katz "Adviser to the Prime Minister of Information Abroad."
During the Madrid Conference of 1991
, The Age newspaper described Netanyahu as having "perfected the craft of delivering his message pugnaciously in made-for-television soundbites".
In May 1992, the Jerusalem Post reported that American Jewish leaders hardly reacted to news that the Foreign Ministry's hasbara department would be eliminated as part of a sweeping reorganization of the ministry. Malcolm Hoenlein
noted there had been talk of streamlining the ministry's hasbara functions for some time. He said that merging the hasbara department's functions with those of the press department did not portend any downgrading in the priority the Likud government gives to hasbara abroad. Abe Foxman, reacted similarly, saying he was "not distressed or disturbed", and noted that disseminating hasbara has always been the responsibility of every Foreign Ministry staff officer, especially those working abroad; if eliminating one department means everyone will assume greater responsibility for his or her own efforts in distributing hasbara, then he is all in favor. It also reported that personnel in foreign hasbara departments would be shifted to press departments, which is where much of the work currently done by hasbara officials properly belongs. He explained that Israel's efforts to provide hasbara abroad would focus on media communications.
In 2001, Shmuel Katz published a retrospective of Israeli hasbara efforts and said that the task of Israel's hasbara "must be tackled not by occasional sudden sallies but by a separate permanent department in the government." Sharon did increase hasbara efforts, but did not create a cabinet-level ministry for that purpose.
Also in 2001, the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry
, the diplomatic arm of the Government of Israel, was an original co-sponsor of the Hasbara Fellowships
activities of Aish HaTorah
. The Jewish Agency for Israel
, Department for Jewish Zionist Education, operates a campaign, "Hasbara, Israeli Advocacy, Your Guide to the Middle East Conflict".http://www.jafi.org.il/education/hasbara/index.html In May 2007, the Hasbara Fellowships opined that, "Wikipedia
is not an objective resource but rather an online encyclopedia that any one can edit. The result is a website that is in large part is controlled by 'intellectuals' who seek re-write the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. These authors have systematically yet subtly rewritten key passages of thousands of Wikipedia entries to portray Israel in a negative light. You have the opportunity to stop this dangerous trend! If you are interested in joining a team of Wikipedians to make sure Israel is presented fairly and accurately, please contact [our] director". A similar advocacy campaign on Wikipedia was later launched by the CAMERA
in May 2008; it resulted in administrative action by the encyclopedia, and several editors were banned.
In 2002, the Israeli State Comptroller's office issued a report critical of Israel's PR efforts, "A lack of an overall strategic public relations conception and objective" and lack of coordination between the various organizations were mentioned. Funding levels are modest; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spent about US$8.6 million on these efforts in 2002, and the Government Press Office was only budgeted at US$100,000.
In 2008, Yarden Vatikay was appointed to coordinate Israel’s domestic and foreign media policy.
In 2009, Israel's foreign ministry organized volunteers to add pro-Israeli commentary on news websites.
In July 2009, it was announced that the Israeli Foreign Ministry would assemble an "internet warfare" squad to spread a pro-Israel message on various websites, with funding of 600,000 shekel
s (c $150,000).
presentations which we post on our website. These presentations review specific aspects and issues related to Israel and the Middle East
."
Some hasbara experts study methods used by Palestinian activists and offer advice on how to respond. Describing demonstrators as "youths," for example, creates a different impression from calling them "children." They draw attention to the subtle differences of meaning between words such as demonstration and riot, terror organization and Palestinian political organization. They advise against name calling and point scoring.
Edward Said
wrote that hasbara methods used during the Second Intifada included lunches and free trips for influential journalists; seminars for Jewish university students; invitations to congressmen; pamphlets and donation of money for election campaigns; telling photographers and writers what to photograph or write about; lecture and concert tours by prominent Israelis; frequent references to the Holocaust; advertisements in the newspapers attacking Arabs and praising Israel.
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
efforts to disseminate information about Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The term is used by the Israeli government and its supporters to describe efforts to explain government policies
Policy
A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. The term is not normally used to denote what is actually done, this is normally referred to as either procedure or protocol...
and promote Israel in the face of what they consider negative press about Israel around the world. Others view hasbara as a euphemism for propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
.
Meaning of the term
While hasbara literally means "explanation", its exact import in its current usage is debated. Gideon MeirGideon Meir
Gideon Meir is an Israeli diplomat.Until November 2006, Meir served as Deputy Director-General for media and public affairs in the Israeli Foreign Ministry...
has said that there is no "real, precise" translation of the word hasbara to English or any other language, and has characterized it as public diplomacy
Public diplomacy
In international relations, public diplomacy or people's diplomacy, broadly speaking, is the communication with foreign publics to establish a dialogue designed to inform and influence. There is no one definition of Public Diplomacy, and may be easier described than easily defined as definitions...
, an action undertaken by all governments around the world with the growing importance of what Harvard professor Joseph Nye
Joseph Nye
Joseph Samuel Nye, Jr. is the co-founder, along with Robert Keohane, of the international relations theory neoliberalism, developed in their 1977 book Power and Interdependence. Together with Keohane, he developed the concepts of asymmetrical and complex interdependence...
termed soft power
Soft power
Soft power is the ability to obtain what one wants through co-option and attraction. It can be contrasted with 'hard power', that is the use of coercion and payment...
. Gary Rosenblatt
Gary Rosenblatt
Gary Rosenblatt is the editor and publisher of The Jewish Week of New York, a position he has held since 1993. Previously he was the editor of the Baltimore Jewish Times for 19 years.-Early career:...
describes it as "advocacy". Hasbara has been described as "pro-Israel propaganda," but while "propaganda strives to highlight the positive aspects of one side of a conflict, hasbara seeks to explain actions, whether or not they are justified."http://www.israelnn.com/print.php3?what=article&id=4175
History
Early usage of the term in English mainstream print media, dates to the late 1970s and describes hasbara as “overseas image-building.” According to the Washington Post, "it is called hasbara when the purpose is to reshape public opinion abroad.” In the early 1980s, Hasbara was defined as a “public relations campaign,“ In NewsweekNewsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
it was referred to as “explaining.” In 1986, the New York Times reported a similar late 1970s period for the start of a program for “communicating defense goals” and a 1984 implementation of a “Hasbara Project” to “train foreign-service officers in communications by placing them with American companies.” Carl Spielvogel
Carl Spielvogel
Carl Spielvogel is a former United States ambassador to the Slovak Republic. Mr. Spielvogel was appointed to the post by President Bill Clinton on August 3, 2000 as a recess appointment. He presented his credentials on September 7, 2000 and served in that post until April 15, 2001...
, chairman of Backer & Spielvogel, traveled to Israel to advise the government on communicating its defense goals.
The trip led to the Hasbara Project, an internship program established to train foreign-service officers in communications by placing them with American companies.Shmuel Katz's book Battleground: Fact and Fantasy in Palestine
Battleground: Fact and Fantasy in Palestine
Battleground: Fact and Fantasy in Palestine is a history book about the Arab-Israeli conflict by Israeli writer Shmuel Katz...
, published in 1973, was described as “an encyclopedic source-book for those involved in Israel's hasbara (public relations) effort.” In 1977, Prime Minister Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
named Katz "Adviser to the Prime Minister of Information Abroad."
During the Madrid Conference of 1991
Madrid Conference of 1991
The Madrid Conference was hosted by the government of Spain and co-sponsored by the USA and the USSR. It convened on October 30, 1991 and lasted for three days. It was an early attempt by the international community to start a peace process through negotiations involving Israel and the Palestinians...
, The Age newspaper described Netanyahu as having "perfected the craft of delivering his message pugnaciously in made-for-television soundbites".
In May 1992, the Jerusalem Post reported that American Jewish leaders hardly reacted to news that the Foreign Ministry's hasbara department would be eliminated as part of a sweeping reorganization of the ministry. Malcolm Hoenlein
Malcolm Hoenlein
Malcolm Hoenlein is the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations since June 1986. He is the founding executive director of the Greater New York Conference on Soviet Jewry and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.Born in...
noted there had been talk of streamlining the ministry's hasbara functions for some time. He said that merging the hasbara department's functions with those of the press department did not portend any downgrading in the priority the Likud government gives to hasbara abroad. Abe Foxman, reacted similarly, saying he was "not distressed or disturbed", and noted that disseminating hasbara has always been the responsibility of every Foreign Ministry staff officer, especially those working abroad; if eliminating one department means everyone will assume greater responsibility for his or her own efforts in distributing hasbara, then he is all in favor. It also reported that personnel in foreign hasbara departments would be shifted to press departments, which is where much of the work currently done by hasbara officials properly belongs. He explained that Israel's efforts to provide hasbara abroad would focus on media communications.
In 2001, Shmuel Katz published a retrospective of Israeli hasbara efforts and said that the task of Israel's hasbara "must be tackled not by occasional sudden sallies but by a separate permanent department in the government." Sharon did increase hasbara efforts, but did not create a cabinet-level ministry for that purpose.
Also in 2001, the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry
Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel
The Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The position is one of the most important in the Israeli cabinet after Prime Minister and Defense Minister...
, the diplomatic arm of the Government of Israel, was an original co-sponsor of the Hasbara Fellowships
Hasbara Fellowships
Hasbara Fellowships is an organization that brings students to Israel and trains them to be effective pro-Israel activists on college campuses. Based in New York, it was started in 2001 by Aish HaTorah in conjunction with the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
activities of Aish HaTorah
Aish HaTorah
Aish HaTorah is a Jewish Orthodox organization and yeshiva. Aish HaTorah is actively pro-Israel and encourages Jewish people to visit Israel and connect to the land and its history. Some consider the organisation to reflect a more Religious Zionist philosophy in its attachment to Israel, promoting...
. The Jewish Agency for Israel
Jewish Agency for Israel
The Jewish Agency for Israel , also known as the Sochnut or JAFI, served as the organization in charge of immigration and absorption of Jews from the Diaspora into the state of Israel.-History:...
, Department for Jewish Zionist Education, operates a campaign, "Hasbara, Israeli Advocacy, Your Guide to the Middle East Conflict".http://www.jafi.org.il/education/hasbara/index.html In May 2007, the Hasbara Fellowships opined that, "Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
is not an objective resource but rather an online encyclopedia that any one can edit. The result is a website that is in large part is controlled by 'intellectuals' who seek re-write the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. These authors have systematically yet subtly rewritten key passages of thousands of Wikipedia entries to portray Israel in a negative light. You have the opportunity to stop this dangerous trend! If you are interested in joining a team of Wikipedians to make sure Israel is presented fairly and accurately, please contact [our] director". A similar advocacy campaign on Wikipedia was later launched by the CAMERA
Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America is an American non-profit pro-Israel media watchdog group. The group says it was founded in 1982 "to respond to the Washington Post's coverage of Israel's Lebanon incursion", and to respond to what it considers the media's "general...
in May 2008; it resulted in administrative action by the encyclopedia, and several editors were banned.
In 2002, the Israeli State Comptroller's office issued a report critical of Israel's PR efforts, "A lack of an overall strategic public relations conception and objective" and lack of coordination between the various organizations were mentioned. Funding levels are modest; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spent about US$8.6 million on these efforts in 2002, and the Government Press Office was only budgeted at US$100,000.
In 2008, Yarden Vatikay was appointed to coordinate Israel’s domestic and foreign media policy.
In 2009, Israel's foreign ministry organized volunteers to add pro-Israeli commentary on news websites.
In July 2009, it was announced that the Israeli Foreign Ministry would assemble an "internet warfare" squad to spread a pro-Israel message on various websites, with funding of 600,000 shekel
Shekel
Shekel , is any of several ancient units of weight or of currency. The first usage is from Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. Initially, it may have referred to a weight of barley...
s (c $150,000).
Methods
The Israel Citizens Information Council (ICIC) says its purpose is "to assist efforts to explain Israeli life from the vantage point of the average Israeli citizen. Towards that end, the ICIC enlists Israelis from all walks of life to participate in its various projects ... One of our major activities is the production of special PowerpointMicrosoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint, usually just called PowerPoint, is a non-free commercial presentation program developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Office suite, and runs on Microsoft Windows and Apple's Mac OS X operating system...
presentations which we post on our website. These presentations review specific aspects and issues related to Israel and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
."
Some hasbara experts study methods used by Palestinian activists and offer advice on how to respond. Describing demonstrators as "youths," for example, creates a different impression from calling them "children." They draw attention to the subtle differences of meaning between words such as demonstration and riot, terror organization and Palestinian political organization. They advise against name calling and point scoring.
Edward Said
Edward Said
Edward Wadie Saïd was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism...
wrote that hasbara methods used during the Second Intifada included lunches and free trips for influential journalists; seminars for Jewish university students; invitations to congressmen; pamphlets and donation of money for election campaigns; telling photographers and writers what to photograph or write about; lecture and concert tours by prominent Israelis; frequent references to the Holocaust; advertisements in the newspapers attacking Arabs and praising Israel.
See also
- IDF Spokesperson's UnitIDF Spokesperson's UnitThe IDF Spokesperson's Unit is the unit in the IDF Operations Directorate, responsible for information policy and media relations. The unit is led by the IDF Spokesperson, a brigadier general and member of the General Staff, and by the Deputy Spokesperson, a colonel. The current Spokesperson is...
- PallywoodPallywoodPallywood, a portmanteau of "Palestinian" and "Hollywood", is a coinage that has been used by some pro-Israeli media watchdog advocates, among others, to describe alleged "media manipulation, distortion and outright fraud by the Palestinians and other Arabs .....
- Media coverage of the Arab–Israeli conflict
- New antisemitism
- We Con the WorldWe Con the WorldWe Con the World is an 2010 video clip that satirizes the purportedly peaceful intentions of the political activists aboard the Turkish-owned flagship, MV Mavi Marmara, which led the Free Gaza flotilla...
- 50 Cent Party50 Cent PartyThe 50 Cent Party is a pejorative unofficial term for Internet commentators hired by the government of the People's Republic of China or the Communist Party to post comments favorable towards party policies in an attempt to shape and sway public opinion on various Internet message boards...
-- Chinese pro-Communist internet message control.
External links
- Hasbara.com
- Government courses
- Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Office
- Israel Hasbara committee
- http://www.israelactivism.com/Israelactivism.com Aish HaTorahAish HaTorahAish HaTorah is a Jewish Orthodox organization and yeshiva. Aish HaTorah is actively pro-Israel and encourages Jewish people to visit Israel and connect to the land and its history. Some consider the organisation to reflect a more Religious Zionist philosophy in its attachment to Israel, promoting...
website] - Hasbara Israel Advocacy
- Zionism & Israel Information Center
- Hasbara Handbook - Promoting Israel on Campus
- The Israel Project
- From Hasbara to Intifada: How Israel's foreign press corps rewrote history
- Israeli Hasbara: A Nation Working Against Itself