Israel sharply increases government spending on information influence programs: the new budget provides 2.35 billion shekels (about $729 million) for so-called “public diplomacy.” This is an almost fivefold increase compared to the previous year and one of the largest such jumps in the country’s history.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar announced the creation of a new Directorate of Public Diplomacy. According to him, changes in global public opinion directly affect the decisions of governments, and therefore the information front has become an element national security.
Of the total amount, the new budget fixes only a part of the funds – about 1 billion shekels – but the total amount of spending is unprecedented. For comparison: a year ago, Israel allocated approximately $150 million, which was already considered a record and twenty times higher than the average expenditures of previous years.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved a preliminary version of the budget after hours of negotiations. Now the document, the total volume of which reaches 662 billion shekels, has been sent to the Knesset for consideration. If it is not approved by the end of March 2026, parliament will be dissolved and the country will go to early elections.
Sharp increase in spending on image programs is directly related to the deterioration of the international perception of Israel due to the war in Gaza. Following a Hamas attack in October 2023 that killed 1,200 people, Israel launched large-scale air, artillery and ground operations in the strip.
According to local medical structures, in Gaza Almost 70,000 Palestinians have diedand before 90% of the population became internally displaced. Israel faces accusations of genocide from a number of states and international organizations.
Amid growing global criticism, the country’s authorities are betting on a strategic strengthening of their information presence and an attempt to regain control over international discourse. The new budget actually turns the media space into another theater of war.
Editorial comment
The dramatic, nearly five-fold increase in Israel’s “public diplomacy” budget is not just an attempt to improve the country’s image. This is a de facto admission that international support is rapidly dwindling, and the war is in Gaza applied Israel the same reputational injury as military defeat. When communication turns into a tool national securitythis only says one thing: this is not about image, but about political survival.
For decades Israel confidently controlled the information space: a carefully built diplomatic network, influential lobby structures, hundreds of “public diplomacy” projects. However, the reality of the digital age has nullified the monopoly on the interpretation of conflicts. Amateur videos, daily on-the-ground reports, and a huge number of independent sources have disrupted the old model of influence.
The country is responding to the crisis by increasing pressure rather than changing its approach. The new gigantic budget is an attempt to fill the problem with money rather than political solutions. But money can buy experts, advertising and presence on social networks, but it cannot rewrite mass perception when a humanitarian disaster becomes the main factor in shaping public opinion.
Israel Today I found myself in a communication trap. To regain trust, we need to change the political course, and not just the rhetoric. But the current government chooses the opposite: to intensify propaganda against the backdrop of the ongoing operation. As a result, “public diplomacy” is transformed from a tool of influence into a tool of defense designed to stop the gradual but obvious erosion of external support.
The strategic panic demonstrated by the new budget only highlights the scale of the challenge. This is no longer a battle for reputation – it is a battle for legitimacy. And no amount of billions can replace a diplomatic solution that could stop the toxic image of a state embroiled in one of the most destructive conflicts of the 21st century.
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