Hasbara
Bashara (
×"סבר×") (or
basharah) is a
Hebrew noun that literally means "explanation".
["The word 'hasbara' means, literally, 'explanation.'" Fein, Leonard. Spinning Out Of Control, The Forward, July 19, 2002.]["known by the prosaic Hebrew term 'hasbara,' ('explanation')" Burston, Bradley. "The media war Israel cannot win", Haaretz, May 25, 2004.] The term has been used by the
State of Israel and by independent groups to describe their efforts to explain
Israeli government
policies, and to promote Israel to the world at large.
Hasbara is viewed positively, and is actively encouraged, by almost all
Jewish,
Zionist, and Israeli organizations and instititutions. They believe that
hasbara bears similarities to programming on the
Voice of America,
Radio Free Europe, and the
BBC World Service.
Critics maintain that
hasbara is
white propaganda or
public relations. According to them, Israeli efforts are no different from any other public relations effort to promote their views, actions and achievements in order to coordinate supporters, attract the undecided and skeptics, and counteract the efforts of opponents.
There are a number of
hasbara websites on the Internet, almost all of them operating independently of the Israeli government, and also dealing with other Jewish issues.
While
hasbara literally means "explanation", its exact import in its current usage is debated.
Gideon Meir has has said that there is no "real, precise" translation of the word
hasbara to English or any other language, and has characterized it as
public diplomacy,
[What "Hasbara" Is Really All About. Meir, Gideon, 23 May 2005] an action undertaken by all governments around the world with the growing importance of what Harvard professor Joseph Nye termed
soft power.
Gary Rosenblatt describes it as "advocacy" .
[‘Hasbara' Goes Prime Time. Rosenblatt, Gary, The Jewish Week, 12/03/2004].
Nathan Guttman has characterized
hasbara as "pro-Israel propaganda, "
[Dancing the Hasbara. Guttman, Nathan, Moment (magazine), August 2006.] while
Avi Hyman has said "while propaganda strives to highlight the positive aspects of one side of a conflict,
hasbara seeks to explain actions, whether or not they are justified." [
1]
Several Israel government ministries and agencies deal with
hasbara:
*The
Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry [
2] deals with issues such as
anti-Semitism and the
Holocaust [
3];
terrorism [
4];
Jerusalem [
5] and many more.
*The Israel Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sport, with sections devoted to living with terrorism and its meaning for children [
6];
gender equality [
7] and more.
*The
Jewish Agency For Israel promotes "Jewish Zionist Education and Identity" [
8] such as J.U.I.C.E. (Jewish University in Cyberspace) [
9] and "University Programs for Overseas Students" [
10]
*The Ministry for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs presently headed by
Natan Sharansky, a former
refusenik who states that: "No one can convey the thoughts, emotions, and opinions of Israeli society today better than a person living in the country. And no Israeli can relate to the thoughts, emotions, and opinions of citizens in other countries better than the people who once lived in those countries. The Hasbara Program of ICIC combines these two truths into one powerful program. In my position as the representative of the government and people of Israel to the Jewish world, I believe that through initiatives such as the ICIC volunteer hasbara program and this website, we will be able to bridge the 'information gap' between Israel and the outside world, and I welcome this addition to the field..." [
11]
*The Israel Prime Minister's Office [
12] releasing
press releases, speeches, Government Press Office [
13], and the Israel
President's Office. [
14]
In the words of one
hasbara group, the Israel Citizens Information Council (ICIC):
The purpose of the ICIC is to assist efforts to explain Israeli life from the vantage point of the average Israeli citizen. Towards that end, the ICIC enlists Israelis from all walks of life to participate in its various projects ... One of our major activities is the production of special Powerpoint presentations which we post on our website. These presentations review specific aspects and issues related to Israel and the Middle East ..." [15]
Some
hasbara documents explain their techniques, reporting on methods used by Palestinian activists, and providing advice on how to counter them, or how to use the same techniques in defense of Israel.
For example, describing demonstrators as "youths" creates a different impression from calling them "children". For the Israel activist, it is important to be aware of the subtly different meanings that well chosen words give. Call 'demonstrations' "riots", many Palestinian political organizations "terror organizations", and so on. Name calling is hard to counter. Don't allow opponents the opportunity to engage in point scoring. [16]
*
World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS)
*
"Megaphone" software*
Highlights from the WUJS Field Guide to HasbaraPromotion of hasbara
*
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (English)*
Hasbara.com*
Israel Hasbara committee*
Hasbara.us*
Hasbara.org.il*
Israelactivism.com*
Hasbara Israel Advocacy*
Hasbara Australia*
Hasbara: Israel Advocacy from world Union of Jewish Students (WUJS)*
Seven Basic Propaganda Devices A brief how-to guide from the WUJS.
*
Hasabara Handbook - Promoting Israel on Campus Entire WUJS handbook, as .pdf
*
The Israel Project, USA*
CoHaV.org*
Israel at HeartCriticism of Hasbara
*
Edward Said. Propaganda and War*
From Hasbara to Intifada: How Israel's foreign press corps rewrote history*
Israeli Hasbara: A Nation Working Against Itself*
Hasbara at
SourceWatch
