Global support for Israel drops sharply as criticism mounts over genocide, apartheid and regional wars
Israel is preparing to spend nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars on its propaganda arm as it seeks to counter a worsening global image shaped by the genocide in Gaza and regional wars, according to its national budget passed in March.
First reported by The Jerusalem Post, a total of $730m has been allocated to the national public diplomacy directorate, known by its Hebrew name Hasbara, which oversees Israeli propaganda.
The figure marks a sharp increase from the $150m set aside the previous year, which had already surged to roughly 20 times pre-2023 levels.
The scale of the spending points to an intensified effort to improve Israel’s international standing as negative perceptions grow, including in allied countries such as the United States.
Israel has been widely accused of genocide in the Gaza Strip, where its forces have murdered and maimed more than 250,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and starved 2.3 million people. The country has also been accused of creating an apartheid system in the occupied West Bank.