Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of hasbara (which translates roughly to “explaining”), a key component of Israel’s public relations strategy.
hasbara
The Latest
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Fast Forward Security Flaw In Israeli Propaganda App Exposed User Data
An app designed to help users spread pro-Israel messages on social media contained a security flaw that exposed the email addresses of its users, The Intercept reported Friday. Act.il was developed by three pro-Israel groups that receive funding from Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson. It has been a pet obsession of Israeli Minister of Strategic…
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News Making A Sexy Pitch For Israel
“Welcome to BDS News! Where we pretend to care about Palestinians, but really just want to see Israel disappear!” Thus opens one of the videos the Israeli government hopes will go viral in what is billed as a new large-scale “cyber second strike” campaign. Supported and spearheaded by the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, the campaign…
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Fast Forward After Super Bowl Win, This New England Patriots Star Says: ‘I’m Going to Israel’
A New England Patriots tight end is heading to Israel after the team’s historic win on a hasbara, or Israeli public relations tour for American football players. Martellus Bennett will be joined by 11 other football players from teams including the Seattle Seahawks, the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders. His Jewish teammate Julian Edelman,…
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Opinion Campaign To Sell Israel With ‘Hotties’ Reaches New Low
I am not a fan of The Israel Project (TIP) for the simple reason that it suffers from the same delusion that plagues FOX News: the one where you claim to be a “,” but do all you can to misdirect any criticism that might challenge your prejudices and lead to real, lasting dialogue. In…
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Fast Forward How Israel Sells Itself With Sex
Some people visit Israel for the holy sites. Some visit Israel as a political statement. Some visit Israel because they think Israelis are “hot.” Disagree? Well, the Israeli Tourism Ministry and City of Tel Aviv do not. Recently, Israel’s economic capital held a Winter Gay Festival advertised using not just a sand-snowman, but also posters…
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Opinion To Reach Diaspora, Make Israel Welcoming to All Jews
I am always delighted by the Sukkot tradition of ushpizin. We invite guests, ceremonially and literally, into our homes to celebrate the spirit of Jewish hospitality — a central theme of this festival. This year, I challenge Israel and world Jewry to ask themselves a question: How big is our people’s sukkah? This question came…
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Opinion Feel-Good Stories Obscure Ugly Mideast Truths
The Israeli government invests considerable effort in promoting its image in the foreign media. It’s called “hasbara,” which comes from the Hebrew root “to explain.” Israelis tend to be patriotic, with many believing their country is unfairly vilified in the foreign media. And so they embrace hasbara as a legitimate corrective measure. But for critics…
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Opinion When Israel’s Help for Injured Syrian Children Is More Than Craven Hasbara
If you look at Israel and see only the occupation, any news in which Israelis come off positively is nothing but distraction, spin or — to use that vilified Israeli term — hasbara. This is an understandable sort of cynicism, even for those of us who are not of the BDS left. After all, Israel…
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