Knesset: Not enough money to win Info war. But there is more

Sad but true. Israel does not have enough money to successfully win the information war.
One of the main reasons is without a doubt the lack of money.

Israel has been losing this information war since its existence, for which Israel has paid dearly on the battlefield. It is difficult to understand why the Israeli elites do not understand this.

The fake nation “Palestinians” exists because it has successfully managed to win the information war. For decades. That is very annoying. And Israel is having to learn the hard way once again that it has lost the war of opinions at US universities. This area has been neglected and served with ridiculously small resources. This is how you lose your sovereignty and freedom of action.

The current debate in the Knesset is therefore welcome but at the same time frightening due to its obvious incompetence. More money alone will not win this information war. The debate reflects an insufficient level of knowledge about PR and marketing. Yes, Israel obviously needs many experts and, above all, the humility to accept advice. And of course, more money.

The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s Subcommittee for Foreign Policy and Public Diplomacy, chaired by MK Zeev Elkin (National Unity Party), convened on Wednesday to discuss the budgets for Israel’s public diplomacy during the Swords of Iron War in 2024.
 
“Just as there are basic budgets for the security of the State of Israel, there should also be budgets for the public diplomacy war the State of Israel is conducting against a well-oiled war machine,” Subcommittee Chair MK Elkin said. “We cannot leave it at such laughable [amounts].”

The figures presented are ridiculously low and the debate does not meet the core problems. To celebrate 7 million views is a laughing stock. Sorry, to say. And the budget meets the requirements of an average corporate company. For a state about 70 Million USD are nothing. That is a joke.

In 2021, Procter & Gamble won the title of the largest advertiser worldwide, having invested 8.1 billion in promotional activities that year. Amazon was the second on that list with an ad spend of 4.8 billion, while Unilever closed the top three with a spending of 4.7 billion dollars, according to statista. Side note: If a bureaucrat is thinking to himself that you can’t compare the state with a company, then I’ll just give him one keyword. SoV. No idea what we’re talking about? Well. q.e.d.

In the press release of the Knesset, you can read: “Gal Ilan of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate said the purpose of its activity was to “create legitimacy for the Government’s actions and present a clear, unified and consistent message,” while noting “we’ve reached over 7 million views for the various campaigns.” The Directorate, he said, has utilized NIS 120 million of its NIS 160 budget for 2024. “The forecast for 2025 is – the Government has approved a base of NIS 10 million and NIS 80 million for the next six months, should the war continue,” Ilan said.
 
Yaki Lopez, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Bureau for Digital Diplomacy, said “We have used more than 95% of the NIS 28 million that were allotted to us, and we plan to utilize the full budget by the end of the year.“

Committee Chair MK Elkin finally summed up: “The bottom line of this debate is that in 2024, a year of war, the State of Israel has invested some $70 million in public diplomacy […]. The Budget Department and the Finance Ministry have to understand that this cannot continue, and I hope that there will be a significant change in investments in 2025 due to the agreement that was signed, although I do not believe Israeli public diplomacy should be dependent on this or that coalition agreement.
 
“Just as there are basic budgets for the security of the State of Israel, there should also be budgets for the information war the State of Israel is conducting against the well-oiled and well-funded war machine of our enemies,” Committee Chair MK Elkin said while calling to significantly increase the investment in public diplomacy.

Everything that has not been discussed is eloquent testimony and proof of communicative incompetence. There is an urgent need for action here.

pic generated by AI. Quotes based on press release of the Knesset