Hasbara

Hasbara () is the public diplomacy of Israel. It includes mass communication, as well as individual interaction with foreign nationals through social and traditional media, and cultural diplomacy. Organizations involved include the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and pro-Israel civil society organizations. Historically, these efforts were openly called "propaganda" by the early Zionists who promoted them, with Theodor Herzl advocating such activities in 1899. The term hasbara was introduced by Nahum Sokolow, literally meaning "explaining". This communicative strategy seeks to justify Israeli state actions and is considered reactive and event-driven.

== Characteristics == Different terms have been used to describe Israel's and other actors' efforts to reach audiences abroad. Hasbara was formally introduced to the Zionist vocabulary by Nahum Sokolow. Hasbara () has no direct English translation, but roughly means "explaining". It is a communicative strategy that "seeks to explain actions, whether or not they are justified". As it focuses on providing explanations about one's actions, hasbara has been called a "reactive and event-driven approach". Most early practitioners of what became known as hasbara were Arabic-speaking Jews who published papers in Arabic to explain Zionism's goals to Arabs. These efforts were led by Arabic-speaking Jews like Nissim Malul, Shimon Moyal, Esther Moyal, Avraham Elmalih, and Yehuda Burla. In 2003, Ron Schleifer called hasbara "a positive-sounding synonym for 'propaganda'".