Bibi: «Israel» Winning Over Arab World with Social Media

Local Editor

The "Israeli" entity is banking on social media to win the hearts and minds of the Arab public, "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday. Many governments in the region already cooperate closely with the entity, but Tel Aviv is increasingly taking to Facebook and Twitter in a bid to sway ordinary citizens, he said.

At an al-Quds [Jerusalem] conference on digital diplomacy, Netanyahu also discussed his personal use of social media, saying he writes his own posts and is satisfied most by his viral videos addressed to the people of Iran.

"I think that the offer of peace will go more and more through social media, rather that through governments," he said, speaking in English.

"We already have a different relationship with regimes and the governments. But we want to get to a different relationship with the people - and that you do through social media," he said.

Addressing foreign officials from more than 30 countries at the Foreign Ministry's International Conference in Digital Diplomacy, Netanyahu cited once again a new poll that purports to show Arab citizens' increasing desire for their governments to establish ties with the "Israeli" entity.

The poll, commissioned by the so-called "Israeli" Foreign Ministry, has been criticized by experts for its methodology, but Netanyahu this week cited its results in various forums.

The poll's results testify to "extraordinary change in the Arab world," Netanyahu gushed. "We see a growing readiness to accept the 'State of Israel' in diverse parts of the Arab world. This is what gives me the greatest hope for peace - that is, the ability to get directly to Arab citizens of these countries and talk to them - because many of the governments are already there."

In using social media, the "Israeli" entity's goal is to break through "the crust of slander, the crust of deception, the crust of this false narrative that has been created on ‘Israel' - this wonderful democratic, vibrant country that produces so many things that can better our lives - to get the Arab men and women on the street, the merchant in the souk, the child in school, to understand that they can benefit from ‘Israel'," he said.

"That can only happen through social media. It is happening. This is the main part of our focus. It is not merely dispelling the lies, it's propagating the truth." Netanyahu added: "I think truth is a powerful weapon. It's getting harder and harder to suppress."

Addressing European diplomats, he said, "I ask that your actual policies toward ‘Israel' be no more and no less than the policies of the Arab world - the actual policies of the Arab world. That is good enough for me."

There's been a sea change in Arab governments' attitude toward the "Israeli" entity, even if it's not reflected in public statements, he said.

"But if you knew the wealth of confidence, the wealth of friendships, the commonality of interests, and in some basic sense - even though our societies are very different - the hope for a better, freer, more liberal future for our peoples, then you'd understand that there's been a pivot in ‘Israel's' standing, not only in the world but also in the Middle East," he said. "And that ought to be reflected, certainly, in the way your governments see ‘Israel'. It'll take some time, but I think eventually everybody will get there."

Netanyahu praised his communications team and his advisers, but appeared to reserve most of the credit for his posts for himself. "Yes, I've had some people write tweets for me, but I write them myself and I am a very exact editor," he said. "Do I write my own stuff? I wish I didn't have to, but I do."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team