Netanyahu says diplomatic manipulation is damaging Israel’s image in the US
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on “60 Minutes” on Sunday that a major shift in public opinion about his country is due to the rise of social media.
“Israel has taken drastic measures to remove innocent civilians from harm,” Netanyahu said. “We’re sending millions of messages to them—we’re making them millions of phone calls, flyers, flyers, you name it, OK? We’ve seen a decline in support for Israel in the United States that’s almost — I’d say, it’s almost 100% related to the geometric increase in communications.”
He went on to say, “And that in itself is not what caused it. And I don’t believe in, you know, censoring anything. But I’ll tell you what happened. We have several countries that basically use social media. And they do it in a smart way. And that’s what hurt us badly.”
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A recent poll showed a drop in support for Israel following the strikes on Iran. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Netanyahu admitted that Israel had made “mistakes” in its war with Hamas but insisted that they were not deliberate actions.
“Israel is under siege in the media, in the propaganda front, and we have not done well in the propaganda war,” he said.
Netanyahu noted that even the host Major Garrett will not be immune from negative propaganda if there is enough pressure against him.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump’s action against Iran but said the war is not over. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“I can paint you like a monster,” Netanyahu said. “And if I say it often enough, enough people will believe it.”
An NBC News poll in March found that only 32% of Americans view Israel favorably and 39% of Americans view the nation unfavorably. The shift was more pronounced among Democrats and independents, while Republicans were still more sympathetic to the Jewish state.
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This shift in opinion follows Israel’s war with Gaza, and US-led military strikes on Iran.
During the interview, Netanyahu stated that the war with Iran is “not over” yet despite the great achievements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked about war with Iran in “60 Minutes.” (Andrew Cabellero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
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“I think that a great deal has been achieved, but it is not over, because there are still nuclear materials, enriched uranium that must be removed from Iran. There are still enrichment sites that must be dismantled. There are still proxies supported by Iran. There are ballistic missiles that we still want to produce. Now, we have reduced the level of a lot of work,” said Netanya, “that’s all Nehunya said.
