Fighting ‘avalanche of lies,’ Israel’s Public Diplomacy team brainstorms with Evangelical leaders
It’s time to mobilize millions more Evangelical voices to tell the truth
TEL AVIV — Israelis are not only facing military and terror attacks from Iranian proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Yemen.
Israelis are also facing an avalanche of lies, slander, and sophisticated and highly-funded propaganda.
That’s why Israeli leaders are asking critical questions these days that go something like this.
TWO CRITICAL QUESTIONS
“First, are we winning the media battle – the war for hearts and minds – or are our voices being drowned out by various world leaders, journalists, social media platforms, anti-Israel activists and flat-out anti-Semites who hate us and seek to blame this war and every other evil on us?”
“Second, what can and should Israel be doing differently to shine the light of truth in the darkness?”
These were among the pressing issues our delegation of Evangelical Christian leaders discussed yesterday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior communications, public diplomacy and foreign policy advisors.
The meeting lasted for several hours Thursday afternoon in the highly secure IDF headquarters known as “The Kirya” – Israel’s Pentagon – in the heart of Tel Aviv.
ISRAEL NEEDS A ‘FORCE MULTIPLIER’ – MILLIONS OF EVANGELICAL VOICES
And here is the short version of the answers our delegation offered.
Yes, Israel is getting beat up pretty badly in the U.S. and global media – but Israeli leaders are also fighting back better, faster, more aggressively and more creatively than in any previous war.
And yes, there is more that Israel can and should do to fight back, starting with pulling out all the stops to consistently and pro-actively educate and mobilize America’s 60 million Evangelicals – and the world’s 600 million Evangelicals – to know the truth and speak the truth from their pulpits, podcasts, talk radio and TV shows and through social media.
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee agreed that Israel is facing an unprecedented media storm, but argued that, nevertheless, American public opinion remains strongly in support of – and sympathetic towards – Israel.
He noted that nearly 100% of elected Republicans in Washington and state capitals are standing strong with Israel.
He also noted that the vast majority of elected Democrats – especially President Joe Biden, to his credit – are standing squarely with Israel.
True, Huckabee agreed, there is a vicious and vocal clique of radical, progressive, elected Democrats who hate Israel.
But, he said, they are routinely voted down – and even publicly rebuked – by most people in their party.
Former Kansas Governor Sam Brownback agreed, and reminded the Israeli officials that “the Bible is clear that God loves Israel and won’t let you be destroyed.”
AN INFORMATION IRON DOME
I agreed and said that while I hear criticisms here and there that Israeli “hasbara” – Hebrew for public relations – is not what it should be, I have actually been impressed that the country’s newly re-invigorated and better-financed “National Public Diplomacy Directorate,” despite its clunky name, is doing a far better job than in the past.
It’s acting as an information Iron Dome, tracking and shooting down lies faster than I’ve seen in the past.
That said, we all urged Israel to do much more to ask tens of millions of Evangelicals to engage in the fight and tell the truth whenever and wherever they can.
Ambassador Mark Regev, a senior advisor and spokesman for the Prime Minister, plied the delegation for specific ideas, and several creative and important ones were offered and discussed.
While the meeting wasn’t off the record, I’m not going to share those ideas for now.
IT’S TIME TO MOBILIZE THE EVANGELICAL RESERVES TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT ISRAEL
The key takeaway is that as the first phase of this long war is now approaching 80 days, this critical conversation is underway.
A country of only 10 million citizens cannot adequately defend itself from a global avalanche of lies.
Israel needs a force multiplier.
Israel needs to “call up the reserves,” as it were – to work far more intentionally to engage Evangelical leaders and lay people who already love the Jewish state and Jewish people – and are looking for ways to help.
Major (Res.) Prof. Tsuriel Rashi, the deputy head of the Directorate, told ALL ISRAEL NEWS that this opportunity to mobilize not just Jews but pro-Israel Evangelicals could help enormously.
“It was a privilege and an honor to host your delegation that expresses unqualified support for the State of Israel and its fight against the barbarism of Hamas,” Rashi told me in a text message on Friday morning.
“We cherish the desire [of Christians] to help the State of Israel and the Jewish people in a variety of ways,” he added.
“I am sure that as a result of the meeting, we will be able to carry out a series of activities and actions aimed at absolute victory. There is no doubt that together we will win. We will defeat the ignorance. We will defeat the hate. We will defeat antisemitism. We will defeat Hamas.”
Amen.
KEY MEMBERS OF ISRAEL’S MEDIA WAR ROOM
Joining the meeting – held in the Directorate’s 24/7 media “war room” – were:
Amb. Mark Regev – Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister and former Israeli Ambassador to the UK
Ofir Falk, Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Advisor
Moshe “Moshik” Aviv – Head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate
Major (res.) Professor Tsuriel Rashi – Deputy Head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate
Tal Heinrich – Spokeswoman for the Prime Minister
Avi Hyman – Government Spokesman
WHAT EXACTLY DOES ISRAEL’S NATIONAL PUBLIC DIPLOMACY DIRECTORATE DO?
According to the official website of the Prime Minister’s Office, “The Public Diplomacy Directorate coordinates the activities of the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister’s Office on the one side, and the media. This work includes routine activity, as well as events and tours. The Prime Minister’s Media Advisor heads the Directorate.”
The main activities of the Directorate include:
• Communicating the policies and decisions of the government and the Prime Minister
• Planning, administering and implementing the State of Israel’s public diplomacy campaign vis-à-vis media outlets in Israel and abroad
• Providing media advice, both day-to-day and in times of emergency, and managing media crises
• Formulating and analyzing current situation reports regarding the media-related agenda
• Advising the Prime Minister and the various bodies in the Prime Minister’s Office on media-related affairs
• Responsibility for publicizing ceremonies, visits to various locations and attending various national events
Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the President and CEO of Near East Media. A New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst, and Evangelical leader, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and sons.
