Emmanuel Nahshon, Deputy Director General for Public Diplomacy, at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today (Tuesday) that his ministry decided to shut down PR activities due to the ministry’s lack of budgets.
In response, opposition leader Yair Lapid, who also served as foreign minister in the past, wrote on his X account: "Here are things that the foreign ministry can do that don't cost a dime:
1. Interview with foreign networks.
2. Write briefings for foreign reporters.
3. Use the social media accounts of the Prime Minister and ministers, which have millions of subscribers".
4. Work with social influencers, such as Gal Gadot, Noa Tishbi, and others.
5. Hold Zoom meetings with members of Jewish communities and former Israelis to give them tools to fight the propaganda war.
6. Stop whining for God's sake and start working."
Member of Knesset Ze'ev Elkin asked for NIS 200 million to be allocated for the Foreign Ministry and said: "If we have to give this discussion a title, it is this: The State of Israel has decided, at the most critical time in its existence, during a war, to shut down the Foreign Ministry’s activities. Information is a war front. I do not believe that there is no solution to this. This is like telling the IDF – don't shoot because weapons are expensive."
MK Dan Illouz responded: "We are at war on many fronts, and also on the PR front, a front that allows us to receive global support for the continuation of the fighting. It is unthinkable that one of our tools on this front has been disabled during the war. I demand that the Ministry of Finance immediately work together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide the necessary resources so that we can win on the PR front as well."