Israel must treat the media war as seriously as Iran’s nuclear threat, Gil Hoffman says

Gil Hoffman, a veteran political analyst and former Jerusalem Post journalist now at HonestReporting, argues in his new book 'The Blood Libel Machine' that Israel must treat the media war as seriously as Iran's nuclear threat. He says Israel was unprepared for the information campaign following October 7, 2023, and that successive governments have treated public diplomacy as a secondary concern.

Gil Hoffman, a veteran political analyst and former Jerusalem Post journalist now serving as executive director of HonestReporting, argues in his new book 'The Blood Libel Machine' that Israel must treat the media war as seriously as Iran's nuclear threat. In an interview with the Post, Hoffman says Israel was caught off guard on October 7, 2023, not only militarily but also on the media front, and that three years later the country still fundamentally misunderstands how to communicate with the world. He contends that Hamas planned the attack to impact global public opinion, and that Israel played into their hands by responding with force that could be labeled disproportionate. Hoffman criticizes successive Israeli governments for treating public diplomacy as a secondary concern and failing to consider how military decisions affect Jewish communities abroad. He advocates for a more offensive media strategy, including outing international anti-Israel figures who accept money from Qatar, and argues that organizations like the UN and NGOs have legitimized anti-Israel rhetoric by spreading propaganda from Hamas.