The Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy (Hebrew: המשרד לנושאים אסטרטגיים, HaMisrad LeNos'im Astrategi'im) is an Israeli government ministry responsible for leading the campaign of expanding the Abraham Accords and the handling of ties on White House matters.[1]
| המשרד לנושאים אסטרטגיים | |
 Emblem of Israel | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2006 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Israel |
| Minister responsible | |
The ministry’s former responsibility was leading a campaign against the BDS movement.[2]
History
editThe Ministry was created in 2006 for Avigdor Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beiteinu party had just joined the governing coalition. Lieberman had demanded the Internal Security Minister post, but as he was under police investigation, and the post was already held by Avi Dichter, a new ministry was created for him, with the role of coordinating security, intelligence and diplomatic initiatives regarding Iran and other strategic threats.[3] Lieberman left the government on 18 January 2008, and the ministry was closed down in April. In 2009, it was resurrected and repurposed under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[3] The ministry was closed in August 2021 by the 36th government of Israel, but was brought back again by the 37th government with the appointment of Ron Dermer as Minister. Alongside Dermer's appointment, it was published that Jordana Cutler, formerly an advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu and currently holding a senior position at the social network Facebook, was expected to assume the role of director of the ministry.[4] However, a few months later, it was revealed that Dermer had not yet endorsed her appointment or that of any other candidate for the position. In effect, as of May 2023, the ministry is still operating without a director.[5]
| # | Minister | Party | Government | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avigdor Lieberman | Yisrael Beiteinu | 31 | 30 October 2006 | 18 January 2008 | |
| 2 | Ehud Olmert | Kadima | 31 | 18 January 2008 | 13 April 2008 | Serving Prime Minister |
| 3 | Moshe Ya'alon | Likud | 32 | 31 March 2009 | 18 March 2013 | |
| 4 | Yuval Steinitz | Likud | 33 | 18 March 2013 | 14 May 2015 | |
| 5 | Ze'ev Elkin | Likud | 34 | 14 May 2015 | 25 May 2015 | |
| 6 | Gilad Erdan | Likud | 34 | 25 May 2015 | 17 May 2020 | |
| 7 | Orit Farkash-Hacohen | Blue and White | 35 | 17 May 2020 | 30 November 2020 | |
| 8 | Michael Biton | Blue and White | 35 | 30 November 2020 | 13 June 2021 | |
| 9 | Yair Lapid | Yesh Atid | 36 | 13 June 2021 | 3 August 2021 | |
| 10 | Ron Dermer | Likud | 37 | 29 December 2022 | present | Not an MK |
Budget
editThe Ministry's director general, Sima Vaknin-Gil stated in 2016 that the budget for the Ministry's anti-BDS efforts for that year was NIS 44 million ($11 million).[6]
Activities
editUnder Gildad Erdan's leadership, the Ministry attempted to keep its activities secret. Erdan and Vaknin-Gil even tried, unsuccessfully, to exempt the Ministry from the Israeli Freedom of Information Law.[7] In 2016, Vaknin-Gil refused to divulge details of the Ministry's activities to a committee of Israeli parliamentarians. "A lot of what we do is under the radar," she told them.[8] However, the Ministry came under a new leadership in 2018; Orit Farkash-Hacohen became the new Strategic Affairs Minister and Ronen Manelis his director general. They announced that they intended to increase the Ministry's transparency which allowed previously secret documents to be published.[9]
The Ministry believes that state propaganda is less effective in persuading the public than institutions and individuals perceived as acting independently. The Ministry has therefore created a "network" of domestic and international organizations to advance the state's "message."[10]
Purchasing favorable news coverage
editIn January 2020, the Israeli investigative magazine The Seventh Eye reported that the Ministry was buying space in mainstream Israeli newspapers to promote its campaign against the BDS movement.[11]
The campaign began in summer 2017 with a budget of ILS 7 million campaign to influence media outlets such as Yedioth Ahronoth, The Jerusalem Post, and the Keshet Media Group. The Ministry paid NIS 120,000 to place articles in The Jerusalem Post and NIS 70,000 to "sponsor" a conference hosted by the newspaper. In exchange for the sponsorship, the Ministry received a 30-minute-panel at the conference which included a screening of a film produced by the Ministry about BDS and anti-Semitism. Prior to the conference, The Jerusalem Post published several articles and op-eds about supposed "links between BDS and anti-Semitism."[11]
Karin Peretz of the Ministry's "public arena" arm told the Seventh Eye that the payment included "sponsored content" but a spokesperson for the Ministry later stated that Peretz was mistaken and that the payment did not include a series of articles. The Jerusalem Post denied that the articles had been paid for.[11]
In October 2020, The Seventh Eye reported that the Ministry in 2019 had paid The Jerusalem Post NIS 120,000 to publish a special supplement titled Unmasking BDS.[12] The Ministry's own officials were interviewed in the supplement as well as Republican Senator Ted Cruz.[13]
Act.IL
editThe Ministry supports and funds Act.IL, a grassroots mobilization app that directs its users to serve Israel online.[14] For example, by commenting on and sharing pro-Israel material on social media and to flag, report, and respond to criticism of Israel.[15]
Closure of bank accounts
editIn 2019, the Ministry announced that a financial campaign had resulted in the shutdown of 30 financial accounts belonging to BDS-promoting non-governmental organizations (NGOs); 20 in Europe and 10 in the U.S.[16] Among them, accounts belonging to the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network,[17] the Palestinian BDS National Committee, and Al-Haq.[18] The accounts were shut down through a combination of efforts by the Ministry, Shurat HaDin, and the International Legal Forum.[19]
Coordination with NGOs
editThe Ministry cooperates and coordinates with several Israeli and international pro-Israel non-governmental organizations. Among them, Shurat HaDin,[18] the International Legal Forum,[18] the Foundation for Defense of Democracies,[20] and the Israel on Campus Coalition.[21] The Ministry has given $445,000 to the American think tank Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy,[22] and $40,000 to the American anti-Muslim hate group Proclaiming Justice to the Nations.[23]
In 2017, the Ministry announced the formation of an anti-BDS legal network. As part of this network, the Ministry-funded NGO the International Legal Forum, would distribute grants of NIS 600,000 to professionals and organizations engaged in the legal fight against BDS.[24][25]
In 2020, the Ministry announced a "financial aid program" to the "pro-Israel network" to counteract the funding crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.[26]
A diplomatic cable first reported about in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in 2017 caused controversy as it indicated that the Ministry had attempted to "operate" British Jewish organizations. The Israeli Foreign Ministry which, had sent the cable to the Strategic Affairs Ministry, cautioned it not to do so. "The strategic affairs ministry must understand that ‘operating’ organisations directly from Jerusalem by email and telephone isn't good for their health," it warned.[27]
Criticism
editCritics allege that the Ministry is leading a campaign of online trolling, legal harassment and intelligence gathering against BDS activists worldwide.[28] According to Rebecca Vilkomerson, former executive director of the Jewish Voice for Peace, the Ministry's attacks on BDS is part of a campaign "to stifle the growing support for Palestinian rights, using dirty tactics including cyberbullying and false legal claims that intimidate and try to silence criticism of Israeli policy".[29]
The Ministry has also been criticized for its cooperation with, and sometimes funding of, American NGOs, which critics believe could violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act.[30] Ali Abunimah, founder of the pro-Palestinian website The Electronic Intifada, said "if you had on tape a statement of a senior Russian or Iranian or even Canadian official saying that they were running covert operations, to spy on Americans, and using an organization like the Foundation for Defense of Democracies as a front…it would be a bombshell."[20]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ TOI staff (30 December 2022). "Dermer's portfolio said to include ties with White House, advancing deal with Saudis". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ Nathan-Kazis 2018: Israeli agency tasked with opposing the BDS movement; Cobain & MacAskill 2017: Israel’s strategic affairs ministry has been handed the task of countering the worldwide campaign to use boycotts, divestment and sanctions to target Israel – the so-called BDS movement.;GOV.IL: Leading the campaign against the actions of anti-Israel delegitimization and boycott campaigns The formation, inclusion and coordination of government efforts to deal with the phenomenon in all its aspects. These include diplomacy, consciousness, academic, economic, cultural and legal activity.
- ^ a b Katz 2009.
- ^ New government to appoint first woman as ministry director-general, in The Times of Israel
- ^ Jordana Cutler, Facebook's lobbyist in Israel, not yet appointed as director of Ministry of Stratgic Affairs, in HaAyin HaShevi'it
- ^ White 2020, p. 70: In 2016, Vaknin-Gil ... NIS 44 million
- ^ Landau 2020.
- ^ White 2020, p. 70.
- ^ Landau 2020: the new leadership of the ministry ... have announced that they intend on increasing the ministry's transparency.
- ^ The Seventh Eye 2019.
- ^ a b c Benzaquen 2020.
- ^ Benzaquen 2020b: The amount paid for the Jerusalem Post supplement ... about NIS 120,000.
- ^ The Jerusalem Post 2019.
- ^ Kiel 2020, p. 8.
- ^ Lark 2020.
- ^ Jaffe-Hoffman 2019: Ten of the closed accounts were in the United States, while 20 were in Europe.
- ^ Jaffe-Hoffman 2019.
- ^ a b c Kane 2019.
- ^ Jaffe-Hoffman 2019: shut down at the request of the International Legal Forum. ... BNC had its crowdfunding account on Donorbox shut down ... by the ministry and the NGO Shurat Hadin.
- ^ a b Gresh 2018.
- ^ Nathan-Kazis 2018: The ICC has a close working relationship with the Israeli government, ... Leaders appear in an unaired hidden camera documentary saying that they “coordinate” or “communicate” with Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs,
- ^ Pink 2020.
- ^ Pink 2020b.
- ^ Kane 2019: according to Israeli government documents reviewed by In These Times, the International Legal Forum receives direct funding from the Ministry.
- ^ Jaffe-Hoffman 2018.
- ^ Kampeas 2020.
- ^ Cobain & MacAskill 2017: In a cable to the Israeli foreign ministry, the diplomats also cautioned that operations being run by the country’s strategic affairs ministry could be dangerous and counterproductive. “The strategic affairs ministry must understand that ‘operating’ organisations directly from Jerusalem by email and telephone isn’t good for their health,” warned the cable from London.
- ^ Kane 2019: The Ministry finances and leads a campaign of online trolling, legal harassment and intelligence-gathering against BDS activists worldwide, according to investigative reports
- ^ Kane 2019: “[The Ministry’s] attacks on the BDS movement are part of a larger campaign to stifle the growing support for Palestinian rights, using dirty tactics including cyberbullying and false legal claims that intimidate and try to silence criticism of Israeli policy,” says Rebecca Vilkomerson
- ^ Gresh 2018: Under US law, organizations and individuals working for foreign governments must register with the Department of Justice.; Pink 2020c: Pro-Israel groups took money from Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs, possibly violating the FARA law against foreign influence campaigns
Sources
edit- Benzaquen, Itamar (January 14, 2020). "Israeli ministry paying for anti-BDS propaganda in major news outlets". +972 Magazine. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- Benzaquen, Itamar (October 4, 2020). "Jerusalem Post took government money to publish anti-BDS special". +972 Magazine. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- "Unmasking BDS" (PDF). The Jerusalem Post. June 2019.
- ב"ז, איתמר (December 19, 2019). "ב"ג'רוזלם פוסט" מכחישים שקיבלו כסף מהמשרד לנושאים אסטרטגיים עבור סדרת כתבות על BDS ואנטישמיות". העין השביעית (in Hebrew). Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- Nathan-Kazis, Josh (September 25, 2018). "Campus Pro-Israel Group 'Monitored' Progressive Jewish Students". The Forward. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- Kane, Alex (November 11, 2019). "Israel's Scheme To Defund the BDS Movement". In These Times. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- Kiel, Christina (July 24, 2020). "Chicken dance (off): competing cultural diplomacy in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest". International Journal of Cultural Policy. 26 (7). Informa UK Limited: 973–987. doi:10.1080/10286632.2020.1776269. ISSN 1028-6632. S2CID 225483576.
- Lark, Daniel (August 10, 2020). "Call of Duty". Jewish Currents. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- Kampeas, Ron (October 3, 2020). "Strategic Affairs Ministry announces aid for pro-Israel groups as funding dives". The Times of Israel. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- Jaffe-Hoffman, Maayan (December 20, 2018). "Strategic Affairs Ministry to form anti-BDS legal network". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- Jaffe-Hoffman, Maayan (June 10, 2019). "30 financial accounts associated with BDS-promoting NGOs shut down". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- Cobain, Ian; MacAskill, Ewen (January 9, 2017). "Israeli diplomats cautioned against 'operating' British Jewish organisations". The Guardian. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- Katz, Yaakov (April 2, 2009). "Security and Defense: Who's in charge of whom and over what?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- "Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy". GOV.IL. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- Gresh, Alain (August 31, 2018). "How Israel Spies on US Citizens". The Nation. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- Pink, Aiden (August 31, 2020). "Think tank failed to disclose six-figure grant from Israeli government". The Forward. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- Pink, Aiden (August 31, 2020). "Israel approved grant to Tennessee anti-Muslim 'hate group'". The Forward. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- Pink, Aiden (August 31, 2020). "U.S. pro-Israel groups failed to disclose grants from Israeli government". The Forward. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- White, Ben (February 1, 2020). "Delegitimizing Solidarity: Israel Smears Palestine Advocacy as Anti-Semitic". Journal of Palestine Studies. 49 (2): 65–79. doi:10.1525/jps.2020.49.2.65. ISSN 0377-919X. S2CID 218853797. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- Landau, Noa (July 29, 2020). "Israel set up a front company to fight BDS. This is how it failed". The Forward. Retrieved December 5, 2020.