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<\/a><\/p>\nProtesters against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war in Gaza walk towards the United Nations (U.N.) in midtown Manhattan on September 24, 2026, in New York City. (Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In July, a group of Israeli tourists visiting Montenegro were reportedly confronted by a man and a woman, apparently locals, who asked, \u201cTaking a break from genocide?\u201d and told them to stay in Israel. In Greece, an Israeli woman said a restaurant refused to serve her after she told an employee she was from Israel.<\/p>\n
In Thailand, a mother and daughter were allegedly beaten after they told a man they were from Israel, according to the mother\u2019s account.. And in the U.S., an Israeli couple checking into a hotel in California were asked if they were \u201cbaby killers.\u201d<\/p>\n
These reports come as Israel\u2019s image around the world has fallen to historic lows. A Pew poll conducted between February and May this year found that across 36 countries, a median of 67% of adults held an unfavorable view of Israel.<\/p>\n
On the diplomatic front, hostility is also growing. Israel\u2019s ongoing military action in Gaza has been termed \u201cdisproportionate\u201d by a growing number of world leaders, and unchecked violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank \u2013 as well as Israeli government policy there \u2013 has prompted some countries, including some considered allies, to pull back or even impose sanctions.<\/p>\n
Despite this hostility the issue of Israel\u2019s diplomacy, its image worldwide and who is to blame for its deterioration is barely factoring into the fast-approaching election on Oct. 27.<\/p>\n
Yaakov Katz, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that there have been complaints about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government not being effective at explaining Israel\u2019s policies or actions to international audiences. Nevertheless, most Israelis see this as a problem beyond their control, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is the argument that Netanyahu makes, which is that no matter what we do, the whole world\u2019s against us, and no matter what we say, it\u2019s antisemitism,\u201d said Katz, co-author of \u201cWhile Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East.\u201d \u201cPeople accept that argument, and to a large extent, they don\u2019t push back on it. Why? Because part of it is true, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Katz pointed out that many Israelis believe the sharp rise in antisemitism worldwide would keep happening regardless of what Israel does.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn other words, Israelis believe that even if the number killed in Gaza was not 70,000 but 10,000, you still would have genocide claims; it makes no difference,\u201d he said, adding that the average Israeli does not fully understand that declining support, particularly in the U.S., could eventually have \u201cexistential consequences for the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people here don\u2019t think that far ahead,\u201d Katz said. Instead, they take comfort in news such as President Donald Trump\u2019s endorsement of Netanyahu, he added.<\/p>\n
Ofir Dayan, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said, however, that Israelis are painfully aware of what is happening abroad and are concerned about it. But she said there are other, more pressing issues in a country that has been grappling with more than three years of war.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people talk about the elections and what the Netanyahu government did right or wrong, they definitely look at this issue, and it is something they care about,\u201d Dayan said. <\/p>\n
However, she continued, most are unlikely to vote for a party or a candidate based on their position on this issue because it is just not a priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsraeli voters are very much one-issue voters, and the issue in this election is security,\u201d Dayan said. \u201cWe\u2019re not remote enough from Oct. 7 for people to completely shift their vote and vote based on this idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to security and the questions surrounding the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror attack, Peter Lerner, the former Israel Defense Forces spokesman for the international press, told JTA that the \u201cissue of Israel\u2019s international standing is secondary to two things: Netanyahu or not Netanyahu, and the left vs. the right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, each one of those comes with its own package of Oct. 7-related issues and the question of who is most suited to deal with the threats that are around us,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cyou just don\u2019t see very many talking about it and when they do talk about it, it is secondary to everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of the dozen or so parties expected to win seats in Israel\u2019s parliament, the Knesset, only a few have referred to Israel\u2019s negative global image or suggested ways to improve public diplomacy.<\/p>\n
The B\u2019Yachad Party, headed by former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, is one of those discussing it as part of a plan to repair ties between Israel and world Jewry. Under this plan, the party hopes to elevate the importance of Diaspora Jewry, allowing a non-voting observer in Israel\u2019s parliament, the Knesset, to focus on such issues.<\/p>\n
Amcha Yisrael, a new right-wing party led by former IDF Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter, has two candidates on its list who are prominent public diplomacy activists \u2013 Yoseph Haddad and Fleur Hassan-Nahoum. Haddad has said multiple times that he would like to be Israel\u2019s next minister for public diplomacy.<\/p>\n
Journalist Eylon Levy, a former spokesman for the Israeli government, told JTA\u2019s \u201cWaiting for 61\u201d podcast that public diplomacy, or hasbara as Israelis refer to it, \u201cis not a goal in itself\u201d for most of the candidates.<\/p>\n
He said the discussion was more about \u201cwho can manage relations with the world so that we can achieve our national interests.\u201d <\/p>\n
Within that framework, Levy pointed out, there is a range of opinions. On the far right, the approach of the Otzma Yehudit Party, led by Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, is to make Israel look tough and \u201cscrew the woolly-hearted soft liberals if they don\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the left, \u201cthe position may be equally detached from reality,\u201d Levy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a belief on the left that if Israel starts behaving like a normal country and doesn\u2019t have ministers who say aggressive nonsense, then Israel\u2019s relations will snap back to normal,\u201d he said. \u201cI think there may be a denial there of how much public opinion has shifted against Israel and how much the expectations of policymakers have shifted as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Levy said he did not believe there would be a massive change in perceptions if a new government were elected on Oct. 27, he did believe it would be given a grace period, at least by Israel\u2019s less-than-friendly allies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is whether an alternative government would suddenly magically boost Israel\u2019s international standing; I don\u2019t think it will,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I do think a more moderate government will buy Israel some goodwill, definitely among those who say, in theory, we support Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n