"A Mortal Blow" to Israeli Hasbara, and Then Another. And Then More and More and More

An analysis of a series of events, statements, and decisions by elected officials in the current coalition that have caused political and public diplomacy storms worldwide, from the judicial overhaul to the vandalism of the monument in the village of Madama. The article reviews the cumulative damage to Israel's legitimacy and the use of these statements as material in the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The article reviews a series of events, statements, and decisions by elected officials in the current coalition that have caused political and public diplomacy storms around the world. It begins with the vandalism of the monument in the Palestinian village of Madama by MK Zvi Sukkot, and continues with a chronicle that includes Minister Bezalel Smotrich's call to "wipe out Huwara," the presentation of a map including Jordan within Israel's territory, Minister Amichai Eliyahu's statement about "a nuclear bomb on Gaza," the participation of ten ministers in a conference to renew settlement in Gaza, and the change of the status quo on the Temple Mount. The article notes that these statements were used by the prosecution at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in the South African lawsuit, and led to personal sanctions against sitting ministers and repeated condemnations. It emphasizes that Prime Minister Netanyahu was forced to turn to his ministers and ask them to "consider statements and words" ahead of the hearing in The Hague.