In an opinion piece in Israel Hayom on Monday, marketing strategist Daniel Zimet claimed Israel was not doing enough on the public diplomacy front. It is easy to make such a claim when you are not familiar with the work that is being done. So for the benefit of the average reader, here are some statistics about Israel's public diplomacy.
The Foreign Ministry operates over 800 digital channels in over 50 languages in order to create a dialogue with world audiences to present Israel's story. Close to 2 million people from around the Arab world, and not 63,000 as Zimet claims, follow the Foreign Ministry's Arabic-language channels. In particular, the number of people following the ministry's Arabic-, Persian-, English- and Spanish-language pages has grown at a dizzying rate.
The Foreign Ministry's posts are viewed by over 100 million people around the world every month, including during the recent riots on the Israel-Gaza border. Beyond dry posts, the Foreign Ministry uses varied and sophisticated media, like cartoons and videos, and engages in dialogue with people online.
This public diplomacy, which is tailored to different audiences, accompanies and bolsters Israel's economic and security abilities in such a way that is reflected in the growing desire of many audiences to be in contact with Israel. This is reflected in the number of visits by foreign leaders, artists and opinion leaders in Israel, the number of events being held here and the polling that indicates Israel is being recognized, including in the Arab world, as a country whose capabilities make it worth being in contact with.
Of course, these successes are no replacement for the struggle against those who act to undermine Israel's legitimacy. The fight against these elements demands stubborn determination to tackle negative trends as soon as they begin to develop. It is also important to recognize Israel's level of willingness to convince others will not always be met with a comparable willingness to be convinced of, let alone hear, what Israel and its representatives have to say.
Public diplomacy is a strategic field. As such, it should not only explain Israel's policy, whether regarding Iran or the Gaza Strip, and act to meet current diplomatic goals, but also foster the acquaintance of future influential figures with the state.
The expectation public diplomacy will be the be-all and end-all ignores the fact that this is an arena where different countries and officials compete for the world's attention. Now ask yourself, have the public diplomacy efforts of Brazil, Britain, Turkey, Angola or the U.S. succeed in winning you over with their message?
