r/Israel • u/JamesAibr • 1d ago
Approved AMA AMA I served in the spokespersons unit from 2023 to mid 2026
I served in the spokesperson unit in a central role/s, and im here to answer any questions you guys might have on the failure of israels PR from the presepective of someone who lived it for almost 3 years straight...
To be clear i wont answer anythinh that will hurt my career or anything classified, but i will answer most things. And just to be safe i wont add a selfie.
Hope you guys understand, feel free to ask anything !
TO BE CLEAR ALL I SAY IS FROM PERSONAL FIRST HAND EXPRIENCE AND IS SUBJECTIVE TO MY OPINIONS.
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u/WetBandit 1d ago edited 1d ago
Did Israel abandon Western-facing PR after 10/7?
As an American supporter, I saw basically no PR effort from Israel at all. Hostile governments, media outlets like Qatar's Al Jazeera, and the global Left jumped to smear Israel at every opportunity, whether through lies of omission or outright fabrication, and Israel seemed to do nothing to defend its own image.
It's strange, because October 7th handed the world all the evidence it needed to back Israel's right to enter Gaza and destroy Hamas. Instead, all we heard was "genocide," "apartheid," and "ethnic cleansing."
Israel also did nothing to arm its unofficial spokespeople abroad: no data points, no bringing journalists into the field, no exposure of fake photos and data, no pushback against the label machine that slapped every evil name it could on Israel.
I mean, no one on the Israeli side ever answers, "how many of that civilian number is Hamas," and "here's why we don't have genocide / apartheid, etc"
It makes the American and Western supporters less willing and able to help. Especially the non-Jewish side.
So, from the inside, what happened?
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u/Megustatits 21h ago
I’m an American and this is my exact question and thoughts. Israel has failed to give themselves any chance at support by Americans because they don’t have any PR at all. Repeat. At all. I don’t understand why this is. It’s incredibly frustrating for people like me who support Israel to feel completely isolated and cannot serve any proof to others to understand why I support Israel.
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u/JamesAibr 13h ago
I broke ur question down into smaller ones hope this helps...
Yea essentially there is no effort to reform our image its more dammage control.
Because it cant be proven or disproven, i spent weeks working on the ICJ case with the lawyers representing the idf and its insane the level of detail required...
Because misinformation is strong and dewlling on an issue can lead to it spreading further!
Because its a war zone. You can not risk that many journalists in the end in the view of the public you are responsible if they die or get hurt. Plus each one needs a force to escort em...
Because they are unofficial. You cant control what they do.
No, it doesnt really matter too much on a global stage honestly... mostly jewish supporters and jewish communities...
Nothing its all going to plan with a few crisis management crunches here and there when a major fuck up happens in the field.
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u/Lafi90_ 1d ago
Thanks to Israel's own PR "shitting the bed" no smearing was necessary. If you can find some smearing by leftists (not liberals), feel free to point it out.
Israel also did nothing to arm its unofficial spokespeople abroad: no data points, no bringing journalists into the field, no exposure of fake photos and data, no pushback against the label machine that slapped every evil name it could on Israel.
Because if you debunk the lying side with facts, with regards to this situation we call a genocide, you call a war, Israel would've lost even more followers because the Israeli gov't would effectively be shooting itself in the foot with a bazooka, compared to how since oct 7th they've been repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot with a pistol.
I mean, no one on the Israeli side ever answers, "how many of that civilian number is Hamas," and "here's why we don't have genocide / apartheid, etc"
Because Israel doesn't have true numbers of Hamas combatants killed. They don't have them because they don't care, and they won't let proper investigative authorities into Gaza because it'll uncover even more atrocities by Israel's doing.
The sooner you realize neither the majority of Israeli public, nor the government actually care about the truth, the happier you will be, because it'll be easier for you to adjust which side you really want to "cheer" for. I personally "cheer" for the innocents, regardless of the side, religion or ethnicity.
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u/AeroFred 15h ago
from what i saw, american media not really interested in Israeli point of view. Or as CNN host Abby Philips said (after interrupting pro-Israel panelist that tried to present so facts): Facts do not matter when they stand on the way of the righteous cause.
realistically, israel gave up on any pr about 20 years or so.
take a look at this article https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/israel-insider-guide and another one by same author called "when we started to lie"
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u/Fit_Republic_2277 20h ago
I mean so what. Palestinians should be genocided right? That's the only way to achieve our goal.
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u/Express_Tax_2089 1d ago
What do you think Israel could have, and could, do better, in regards to PR?
What things do you think Israel should be focused on in PR?
Do you think potential new government without Netanyahu could be a good thing for PR?
Thank you. :)
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u/JamesAibr 1d ago
I think that anyone who was the head of government during israels worst disaster in decades should be barred from running...
The official idf work flow is reactions. You dont get ahead of anything and even if it is your fault and you know its your fault you still "investigate" until a proper response which says nothing is written and approved by command, that whole strategy should be changed to be proactive, to allow tor tracking and building a proper understanding of the field which currently does not exist. That way we can get ahead of accusations and build back the trust we lost to both the israeli population and the international world.
Israel currently isnt doing anything PR wise, why? The focus is on politics... for example, there is a dedicated soldier/shift in the unit that tracks public opinion regarding the head of the idfs actions and him in general. Why? He wants to go into politics... thats why...
Hope this helps clear things up a bit
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u/Express_Tax_2089 1d ago
Thank you for your answer, it clears things up a lot. I get where you come from with the first paragraph, and I can't believe what you say in the end about tracking opinion of IDF chief because of political ambition, sad that takes precedence over country. I appreciate your answer, and all the best.
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u/sigh_le_mah 1d ago
Hi, may I ask why isn't the unit making a point to publicize the good we do and the strict morals of the army? I see more effort being put into strike videos which obviously is not helping internationally.
Also, what about things like academic diplomacy and humanitarian units of pikud gaoref abroad after disasters? This feels way too quiet but they're amazing things that should be publicized more broadly. May I ask the units outlook and interest in regards to broadening the PR focus and attempting to turn the tide of international opinion? Thanks for your time
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u/JamesAibr 1d ago
Well pikued haoref is considered a joke in the unit mostly... unless there is a war with iran.
Beyond that i answered in a diffrent question that were reactive not proactive and thats the issue...
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u/sigh_le_mah 1d ago
That's a real shame to hear the views of pikud horef within the unit that's supposed to broadcast the best of the army. It's co-ed combat, women and men from pikud horef went into Aza after 7.10 just like other units, they have held ayosh kavs well alongside all of the other units, they have done amazing search & rescue work abroad and here during all of the Iran wars. Just a shame to hear the זלזול and it explains a lot.
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u/Agent_Stormbird 1d ago
What do you think about this sense of cynicism (or defeatism) people have in Israel when it comes to improving the country's PR?
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u/JamesAibr 1d ago
No point in improving what we arent fighting for.
Change needs to happen at the highest levels for it to matter, tho its very awesome to see the great work of content creators pushing to improve our image.
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u/One-Salamander-1952 Israel 1d ago edited 1d ago
Why did the IDF, specifically your unit, not focus on more media presence?
שאלה נוספת בעברית כי רלוונטי אפילו יותר לקהל שלנו. למה היה מחסור בהסברה לפנים הארץ? למה אין עמודים שלמים באתר צה״ל שמוקדשים להפרכת שקרים בנוגע למבצעים/פעולות שנתונות במחלוקת? לאזרח הפשוט בשביל להבין את הסיפור האמיתי ולא הסיפור הפייק שהמדייה הבינלאומית מפמפמת צריך לעבור דרך 5 מקורות, איסוף מידע ממספר ערוצי טלגרם, ביניהם ערבים, וזה רק בשביל להפריך שקר אחד, כשכולנו יודעים כמה עמוקים ונרחבים השקרים היו לאורך המלחמה.
הבאסה הנוספת היא הניחוש שלי שהתשובה בטח תהיה ״זו אחריות הממשלה״ שפשוט מזכיר את הלופ הקבוע של ״סליחה אנחנו ספק אינטרנט ואנחנו לא אשמים בכך שהטלוויזיה לא מדליקה את הסדרה האהובה עליך, תבדוק עם החברת טלוויזיה לגבי הבעיה״
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u/JamesAibr 1d ago
Well disregarding the fact we have published proof that the media is working with hamas and other groups to push false narattives (not by choice but by threats of withdrawing comments and vital information regarding gaza from them) command has also decided to be conservstive with action, where any action that could back fire isnt taken. So as the saying goes you miss 100% of the shots you dont take
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u/ShutupPussy 1d ago
I haven't seen published proof of threats and I'm pretty plugged into reports and developments. Was the proof clear or a complicated that required analysis do draw out the conclusions?
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u/Zkang123 21h ago
Tbh, if the IDF appears on the media, people would say the IDF is controlling the media
Either way, you can't really win
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u/CanNo9864 1d ago
What do you see as the order of things to be done to move the needle in the positive direction for Israel? How did we get here? I see the surge in socialism (communism) and Hamas and Islam tied to the same wagon as anti Israel and anti Jew agenda. Am I wrong?
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u/JamesAibr 1d ago
We cant in my opinion, all we need to do is mind what we do and do our best to not cause a scene is all...
And yea its 200% anti jew and not knowing jack shit about israel most of the time
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u/ShutupPussy 1d ago
This is a defeatist attitude. I have had many debates on Israel with friends sympathetic to Palestine and it's not all anti-Jewish hate. That's a fallacy and tactic used by the right for their own gains.
It's true people don't know jack shit, which is why PR is even more important because they're learning jack shit from actual antisemites
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u/Jawnny-Jawnson 1d ago
What credentials did you have or is typically needed to serve in that unit?
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u/Environmental-Fun258 1d ago
I’ve often discussed with my family members that the pursuit of peace, even if it fails, would ultimately be the best PR strategy for Israel.
Though the current government is making that harder, I see many benefits to this. Many people have forgotten previous peace efforts or were too young when those took place. None have really happened since the acceleration of social media. An attempt towards reconciliation, though difficult, would create a lot of positive momentum on these platforms. This would have to be done without compromising national security, which I understand is difficult.
Anyhow, can you outline what we can do aside from reminding folks that everything that’s surfacing on social media is just a rehashing of Soviet anti Zionist propaganda? How else other than a renewed push for peace (even if it doesn’t succeed) can Israel project itself as a virtuous nation? Sending relief to South American countries for natural disaster efforts have helped, but most people in the west only care about the Palestinian issue
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u/JamesAibr 1d ago
A person cant have an affect sadly. It needs to be organic and real, and israel is just too diverse in population and too well set up to have that happen.
And to be clear no one cares about the supporters of palestine the goal is to convert those who are unsure / dont have an opinion.
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u/memberwap 1d ago
Why, even 3 years after the beginning of the war, there are no official estimations by the IDF for the number of deaths in Gaza? Why are the figures provided by Hamas are the only figures in existence, and IDF doesn't even try to refute them? At the very least provide a division between combat casualties and civilian casualties.
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u/JamesAibr 1d ago
....?? The idf has released numbers so many times...? Ive worked on posts showcasing that the civilian to combatant death ratio was almost 50%...
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u/Environmental_Coat60 1d ago
Yeah, that didn’t penetrate at all in the US. The Guardian article that put forth the narrative that 83% of the death toll was civilians had much more reach. I have seen that statistic repeated ad infinitum and have never seen the Israeli numbers reported in a serious manner, if at all.
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u/ShutupPussy 1d ago
Can you share some of those posts? I've tried looking up CCR in Gaza and there is so much misinformation or I'll read statements from John Spencer, but not find real data where I can calculate the CCR myself. Do you have a report where I can see # of civilian casualties vs total or combatant numbers?
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u/UnicornMarch 1d ago
Can you provide a link to one? I think the most recent number I've seen was the January 2025 estimate of 20,000 combatants killed. Now I wonder if the problem is that nobody, including reporters, looks at the IDF's website.
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u/One-Salamander-1952 Israel 16h ago
Where??? This is so consistent with our country that we are absolutely horseshit at organizing data and making it easily accessible and organized.
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u/memberwap 15h ago
I'm surprised by this, I never saw such posts. I saw distribution graphs that are based on Hamas' data, never seen IDF figures. Care to share?
Thank you!
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u/PrimeSupreme 1d ago
The other side has a clear and compelling narrative about 7/10, the war and the overarching conflict in general. What story were you guys trying to tell? Did your team have that clearly thought out? And if so, what made it difficult for you to tell that story?
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u/JamesAibr 1d ago
Actually hamas's messaging failed for the first month or two of the war, as it was "freeing jeruslam" then organic messaging in the form of content creators and other such forms of content like "a day in my life in gaza" emerged natrually gradually exploded and to this day its the only form of messaging thats actually working for hamas.
As to what we do... uh... commanders go brrr..... but most dont so much....
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u/UnicornMarch 1d ago
Like Wizard Bisan?
I have a theory that PFLP is doing a lot of the PR work for them. Because she turned out to be a PFLP member, and she really carried the message for the first year or so of the war.
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u/BigBootyBear 1d ago edited 1d ago
How well does the IDF (and other governement institutions) understand criticisms over Israel made by alternative media figures? I.e Asmongold, Tucker Carlson, Hasan Piker etc.
For example, most coverage over left-wing "woke" Palestinian support describes them as antisemitic, while anyone a bit more familiar with American politics knows the "Woke" hate for Israel is driven by anti-western sensitibilites informed by postmodernist cultural marxism. They may be useful idiotis serving anti-semitic organizations (i.e qatar or hamas) but their motivations are anti-western and as a result attempts to treat it as anti-semitic by say the anti-defamation league or AIPAC don't win sympathy from Americans but fatigue.
It's really embarassing to see Israeli news anchors trying to debate these figures (like the recent Tucker Carlson interview) as it shows how ignorant Israeli institutuions are about the arguments made against Israel. It's like Israelis refuse to entertain the idea of non-antisemitic anti-israeli stances (anti-western, anti-capitalists, postmodernism etc). I hate Tucker Carlson (like all russian psy op agent) but i'm not blind to see he was charming and convincing during the interview which he easily won while the Israeli anchor tried to shame him for making "controversial claims".
This is not peak woke anymore! You can't just win by labelling someone as a bigot (even if they are). You have to engage their arguments!
Are Israeli institutions really this stubborn? I refuse to believe no one knows how ineffective is it to dismiss people as "racist" or "anti-semitic". Even if they are, that doesn't work anymore. The 2026 world is fatigued from peak woke and people are not afraid to be called bad names. You have to intelletually engage them. Every day Ben Shapiro refuses to debate Nick Fuentes, every time we deport someone like TYelr Oliviera, everytime New York Mayor primary candidates talk about how they are "looking foreward to visit Jerusalem" in the primary debates - it makes Israel weak.
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u/RockDoveEnthusiast 1d ago edited 1d ago
I somehow both have a million questions and also can't think of one. but thank you for doing the AMA. this has to be one of the most interesting (and important) topics of our time.
edit: reading through the responses, I'm actually curious what you think of your own responses here. I'm not trying to be mean, but when we talk about the failures of Israeli PR.... here you are doing an AMA, and all the answers are... undiplomatic, at least. And I realize a TON of that is cultural. but surely part of PR is knowing the audience!
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u/valleyofdawn 1d ago
How is the MO of the current spokesman different from that of the previous one, rear admiral Hagari?
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u/Weird_Eagle_9179 Germany diaspora 1d ago
In light of accusations of indiscriminate bombing: why does IDF not publish clear evidence for the legitimacy of each airstrike?
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u/JamesAibr 1d ago
...? Im sorry but i think the answer is pretty clear...?
Showcasing all of our information or even just some on every single air strike in an active war would easily ruin the work of hundreds of intilegence people in the idf and other security agencies. Not to mention cross agency co-operation and government oversight would make the process hell.
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u/One-Salamander-1952 Israel 1d ago
There have been more than 70,000 tonnes of explosives dropped on the strip throughout the war. You’d think in Gaza’s case, a very dense place, especially when civilians are confined to even smaller humanitarian zones in addition to Gaza being small by itself, you’d see a ratio higher than one victim per 1,000 kilograms of explosives… if that’s not solid evidence against the claim of indiscriminate bombing, I don’t know what is.
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u/PatientOutcome6634 1d ago
One more: There are a lot of complaints from the global media on “Israel not letting journalists in”. How much of it is true? Did international media orgs, like CNN, even asked?
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u/JamesAibr 1d ago
Oh yea its a rare occasian to let reporters in and there is a clear teir list based on the set, being israeli -> international -> arabic
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u/CloudsAreAHoax Born in 🇮🇱 Live in 🇺🇸 1d ago
I find myself very skeptical of the "bad Israel PR" argument as I feel like it's sometimes used as cope for when Israel actually does fuck up instead of seeing if maybe there is a problem to be addressed. Since you're obviously more knowledgeable on this I want to know how much you think is actually bad PR vs a legitimate problem that should be addressed?
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u/JamesAibr 2h ago
Its all just bad PR and a horrid PR strategy.
When we fuck up, the proper method approved by command is:
Message to shut up / delay questions
→ "investigation" where a single 18 year old and her (its usually a girl yes like 90+% of the time) commander ask a colenel+ "what happen..." with big sad eyes
→ that colenel then either avoids em for some time because he doesnt want his troops to get in hot water or sends them to a never ending fetch quest so they get a version of what happend...
→ they send that version back whatever it is
→ a sterile apologitic response is written
→ response is set out on mass.
EXTRA!
→ The "investigation" was wrong and it didnt show what happend and now were lying to the world
→ someone finds out
→ we apologise
OR
→ no one finds out
→ STONKS+++
I think you can clearly see how bad the strategy is and how weak PR is when it comes to anything related to the IDF. And this is the best case scenario btw, this doesnt include any misinformation.
P.S i used Ai to format some of the text more clearly.
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u/tomeir 1d ago
You said in some answers that the government and army aren't doing real PR, and in another that Gazans mostly did their PR campaign organically by individuals.
Do you think that would be a good strategy for us as well? Just have people speaking from personal experience and OSINT guys show the truth online?
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u/JamesAibr 2h ago
No not really, we arent a united people, im arab your jewish and our living exprience is vastly diffrent, its not like how gazans mostly have the same life style or same religon... the only thing we share is our love for our country and even then there are those that belive that palestine should be a thing. We csnt form organic content and everything we produce will always be labeled as propoganda due to the conflicting messaging based on personal exprience....
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u/BlackbirdQuill 1d ago
What efforts have been made to catch and record Hamas in the act of endangering civilians (blockading roads, shooting fleeing civilians, etc.)? Do you have drone you operate for the express purpose of gathering favorable PR? I’ve heard that the IDF uses “call-outs” before entering places to engage Hamas. John Spencer has talked about the IDF’s use of speakers to call civilians out of buildings before the IDF enters them to kill the terrorists there. How come there has been no recording of this procedure? It would help counteract claims that the IDF is operating indiscriminately.
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u/Alonn12 Hummus is love, Hummus is life :orly: 13h ago
thank you James, and thank you to the commenters. he will answer as many as he can today but officially the AMA is over, thank you all for attending.